Jane Redmond
1st October 2024
The Giles’ Trust Brain Tumour Fund has treated a young brain tumour patient to her dream trip away to London.
In 2019, at the age of 19, Evanne Hughes was given the devastating news that she had a brain tumour. Evanne was diagnosed with an Anaplastic Astrocytoma WHO Grade 3 brain tumour and has been receiving treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham for the last 5 years.
Evanne’s treatment journey has been quite intense at times, leaving her feeling extremely poorly with no energy and unable to do the things she enjoys. One of her dreams was to visit Kew Gardens in London, and when the Giles’ Trust Brain Tumour Fund heard this, the charity decided to treat Evanne and her fiancé, Adam to a special weekend away to London. The trip included a two-night stay in a suite at the 5-star Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel plus dinner for two at the restaurant, a VIP trip on the London Eye, a personal tour of London in a black cab stopping at all the sights Evanne wanted to see and, of course, a visit to Kew Gardens. Evanne said, “The whole experience made me feel really special. The hotel was incredible, and they really went out of their way to make us feel like their most loved guests. It was a wonderful break away from my treatment, I was really able to go and enjoy life.”
Karen Jones, fundraiser for The Giles’ Trust Brain Tumour Fund said, “We were delighted to be able to help give Evanne her dream trip. She spends so much time in hospital, going to various appointments and having different scans and treatments, it was lovely to be able to give her a break from that and treat her to such an amazing weekend – something other people her age take for granted.”
Will Garratt, Lead Neuro Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, is part of the team treating Evanne and he has got to know her well over the past few years. Will said, “Evanne is amazing. Like all our patients, she has been through an incredibly tough time. It’s been great working with The Giles’ Trust Brain Tumour Fund to make the London trip happen. When we saw Evanne after her weekend away you could tell it had given her the boost she needed, and it was so heart-warming to hear her mum, Vanessa say ‘I’ve got my daughter back.’ You can really see the difference it made to Evanne.”
© 2020 The Giles' Trust is a part of University Hospitals Birmingham Charity, a company limited by guarantee in England (No.10004003) and a charity registered in England and Wales (No.1165716). Registered Office: Fisher House, Mindelsohn Way, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, B15 2GN
