A student who went for a routine eye test was told she had eight brain tumours, and doctors said she had just months to live. Laura Nuttall, who was diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer Glioblastoma Multiforme in 2018, quit her university course to start ticking off her bucket list.
But her family then discovered an innovative new treatment available in Germany. Laura has been undergoing treatment every six weeks in Cologne thanks to donations raised by friends and family and now, aged 22, she has graduated from the University of Manchester.
Laura said: "In my first year, I wasn't sure if I would be able to make it to graduation - never mind get a 2:1." Laura, endured a craniotomy to remove the largest tumour and then started a programme of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
She became an ambassador for The Brain Tumour Charity, reports MEN, and had more surgery in March and December. Laura completed her degree in politics, philosophy and economics, and celebrated her graduation with mum Nicola, sister Grace and dad Mark. “Laura was told that she had a life expectancy of around a year and wouldn’t be going back to university at all, so to see her graduate is just incredible,” said Nicola.
“I know how hard she’s had to work to achieve her degree alongside her chemotherapy, surgery and treatment, and this day is a real celebration of her tenacity. We really couldn’t be more proud of her.”
Laura plans to carry on raising money for brain charities, and to raise awareness of brain conditions. She recently joined the board of Our Brain Bank, a charity working to turn Glioblastoma from terminal to treatable.
“I have met very few people with such a determination to live their life to the full,” Professor Jackie Carter, who bonded with Laura as she also has a child with an incurable brain tumour. “Unlike most of my students who are wondering what to do with their futures, Laura quite literally doesn't know what hers holds - but she's getting on with it, and doing it all with a spirit that shines through her every pore when you meet her.”
Laura and her mum were keen to tell their story, as they want to draw attention to the research being undertaken at The University of Manchester. The Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre opened at the university last year, which brings together some of the world’s leading brain tumour, stroke and dementia scientists - alongside experts in brain inflammation, imaging and rehabilitation - to carry out ground-breaking research and develop new treatments to transform the lives of people with neurological diseases.
These conditions have a devastating impact in the UK - brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, dementia is the leading cause of death, and 100,000 people have strokes every year. “I don't think I would have been able to achieve my degree without the help and support provided by The University of Manchester, especially the student welfare officers” added Laura.
