On 6th September 2018 Nikki’s mum Susan received a glioblastoma diagnosis. Then just two days later, her brother Paul was diagnosed with the same aggressive brain tumour.
Paul and his wife Sarah had just returned from their holiday when they found out about Susan’s glioblastoma diagnosis. However, while visiting Susan in hospital Paul had an episode that led Nikki, a former nurse in the NHS, to demand that he had a scan. They suspected he’d had a stroke.
Paul went straight to A&E and to the family’s horror, he was also diagnosed with a glioblastoma.
Paul had no symptoms until a few days before his diagnosis. He was experiencing numbness in his right hand followed by stiffness in his right leg and a bad headache.
As you can imagine, we were devastated. Having to tell my mum that Paul also had the same type of brain tumour is something I will never forget. Paul was determined that him and mum would beat this. They were both so brave and showed dignity, strength and love to us all throughout.”
Nikki Saunders
Just seven weeks after diagnosis
Paul became very unwell five weeks after his glioblastoma diagnosis when he was due to start radio- and chemotherapy, and died just two weeks later – seven weeks after diagnosis, at just 42 years old.
Sadly, just 11 weeks later, Susan also died at the age of 77.
Raising funds and awareness
Nikki said: “Words cannot describe what we went through or how missed and loved my brother and mum are.”
The whole family are committed to raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity in Paul’s name and raising vital awareness of this devastating disease which has taken so much from their family.
Sarah, Paul’s wife ran a virtual London marathon in New York and has also run the London Marathon. Keith, Paul and Nikki’s dad walked 150 miles in his walker and more recently Nikki climbed Snowdon.
She said: “Climbing Snowdon is massively out of my comfort zone but I know Paul and mum would have climbed the highest mountain to get better and save each other, so it’s the least I could do. I was my turn to be brave, I just hope they’ll both be proud of me.”
Some of our glioblastoma research
Dr Tyler Miller
Dr. Tyler Miller is a Research Fellow at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA. His research is focussing on improving responses to immunotherapy in the hope it will be a better treatment option for people facing a glioma diagnosis.