I lost my Laura, 23, to killer brain cancer – it’s time for urgent action to save others
AFTER losing her daughter Laura to brain cancer, Nicola Nuttall is determined to save others.
Laura died at the age of 23 after spending five years campaigning to raise greater awareness of glioblastoma multiforme, which also claimed the life of The Wanted singer Tom Parker, 33.
As trustee of charity Our Brain Bank, Nicola is calling on the Government to demand better recognition and support for glioblastoma.
“I have to try and change the diagnosis and treatment of the cancer that took Laura,” she told Sun Health.
“I’m contacted every week by people who have been diagnosed and can’t find information about their cancer.
“There’s an NHS page for brain tumours but not glioblastoma specifically, despite 3,200 cases a year being diagnosed in the UK.
“Imagine getting a diagnosis then not being able to find any information about it.”
There is a five per cent chance of surviving five years with brain cancer, compared to 88 per cent for breast cancer.
Nicola adds: “I’ve had countless people tell me they’ve been diagnosed after visiting their GP for months.
“They’re first told it’s stress or tiredness or to see their optician in case they need new glasses or a new prescription.”
While symptoms can be different based on where the tumour is, they include: Headaches, loss of appetite, loss of balance or trouble walking, mood swings, nausea and vomiting, personality and behaviour changes, problems speaking, problems with memory, seizures, sensation changes, trouble concentrating, vision changes and weakness.
Nicola believes a rise in cases means more must be done – and fast.
She says: “Since the 90s, brain cancers have increased by 39 per cent.
“And in the last decade alone the incidence of women having brain cancer has increased 16 per cent.
“More needs to be done urgently.
“We need to get to a point where brain cancer diagnosis goes the same way HIV did.
“That used to be terminal, now it’s treatable, and we need the same for brain cancer.
“Laura never felt sorry for herself or her diagnosis, but every time she heard someone else had died from her cancer, it made her so angry.
“This disease could, and should, have a much better prognosis than it does.”