A man has paid tribute to his wife who died from a brain tumour, saying she "selflessly fundraised to help improve outcomes for brain tumour patients, even though she knew it would be too late for her". Dafydd Hobbs, of Penarth, set up fundraising group One for the Road in memory of his wife Charlotte, a former detective sergeant who died in March last year.
Passing away at just 42, Charlotte left behind her husband and two daughters, Freya, 15, and Catrin, 10. She had managed to raise over £10,000 whilst still receiving chemotherapy, her husband said.
Charlotte was diagnosed with with a grade 3 anaplastic astrocytoma in 2010 after suffering a seizure and underwent surgery and radiotherapy. However, she was warned that the tumour would return. In October 2020, a scan revealed regrowth and Charlotte had another craniotomy, further radiotherapy, and chemotherapy for the first time.
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Charlotte started experiencing what she called "jazz hands" at the start of 2010, where her hands would shake and her arm would move uncontrollably. After going to the GP three times, she was told it was due to back spasms. However, it wasn't until she had a grand mal seizure whilst in bed with Dafydd that she was taken to the Heath Hospital in Cardiff and told she had a brain tumour.
"When I ‘came to’, I had no idea what had happened or where I was, I didn’t even know who Dafydd was," Charlotte told Brain Tumour Research. She said that the misdiagnosis had made her feel "stupid and really embarrassed". After her diagnosis with a brain tumour, Charlotte was prescribed anti-epilepsy medication and later returned to Heath Hospital to have the tumour removed.
She had an awake craniotomy and, recalling the procedure, said: " I made a playlist on my iPod for the first part of the operation, when I was awake, so I couldn’t hear the terrifying noise around me. The song I most remember was a cover of ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ by the group Hearsay. I remember this because one of the doctors made fun of my song selection."
Following a biopsy, Charlotte was told she had a grade three anaplastic astrocytoma, which required six weeks of radiotherapy at Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff and regular check-ups. Keen to keep up her fitness, Charlotte would cycle to some of her appointments and continued to run on the treadmill.
Just a few months after surgery and radiotherapy, Charlotte returned to work with South Wales Police on restricted duties. She was unable to drive or take part in any frontline tasks. After her treatment finished, Charlotte and Dafydd were able to get married on New Years Day in 2011 in Brighton.
After having her second child in 2011, Charlotte had pursued a career in personal training and later started studying to be a chiropractor. Sadly, due to her relapse, she never completed her studies. In October 2020, Charlotte and Dafydd received the tragic news that her tumour had relapsed.
After she didn't receive her usual phone call with her scan results, Charlotte phoned and was told that she would have to come in person to receive them. She was told that the tumour had returned and was more aggressive than it was 10 years ago.
“The results were a massive shock; I was expecting to be told the same thing as usual, that everything was stable,” she wrote of her experience. Charlotte had a second awake craniotomy and needed to go through chemotherapy. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Dafydd was unable to come into the hospital with Charlotte - something she said was "really hard."
Charlotte did a number of challenges over 10 years to raise money for charity, doing 100 star jumps a day for a whole month while she was in chemotherapy, as well as previously completing the Three Peaks Challenge, and a London to Brighton 100k walk. She said the challenges "meant the world" to her, giving her something important to focus on throughout her ordeal as well as contributing towards finding a cure for the disease.
According to Brain Tumour Research, just 12% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 54% across all cancers. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, the charity says.
At least 25 MSs were at the Senedd for an event on Tuesday, April 25, to show support for the charity, along with neurologist Dr Ben Newland from Cardiff University, and Dafydd. The event was sponsored by Mike Hedges, MS for Swansea East. He said: “Brain tumours are indiscriminate and affect so many people under the age of 40. It’s important we do all we can to raise awareness and funds, and find a cure.”
Speaking about the event, Dafydd said: “The world has evolved so much in the intervening years, yet the impact of the lack of funding was so apparent to us. Charlotte received the same surgery and radiotherapy treatment as the ten years prior, and chemotherapy that was first licensed in 1999. This lack of progress is unimaginable when we reflect on every other aspect of life in 2023.”
“Charlotte selflessly fundraised to help improve outcomes for brain tumour patients, even though she knew it would be too late for her. In November 2021, whilst still on chemo, she raised more than £10,000 for Brain Tumour Research by taking part in 100 Star Jumps a Day.
“It was great to have exposure at such a high level yesterday and to be able to speak to the very people who can make a difference for brain tumour patients. I was delighted to see so many MSs taking part, and to be able to tell them Charlotte’s story to give a real-life perspective on how much devastation this disease causes families.”
He added: “I would not wish other families to go through what we did. We know that so much work needs to be done to change outcomes for brain tumour patients. I hope the MSs now understand how much more attention brain tumours need. More research is needed so better treatments can be found because they haven’t changed in years. I really appreciate their support in taking our cause forward.”
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