A student in Newcastle who attributed her severe headaches to exam stress discovered she had a cancerous brain tumour. Annalise Donelon, 20, a chemical engineering student at Newcastle University, initially visited her GP multiple times. Doctors suspected a B12 deficiency, but tests later revealed a 5cm high-grade brain tumour lodged in a fluid-filled cavity of her brain. The pressure caused pain she described as 'a bandsaw cutting down one side of her face'.
Surgery and radiotherapy
Annalise, known as Annie, underwent an 11-hour craniotomy at Salford Royal Hospital last October to remove most of the tumour. This was followed by six weeks of radiotherapy, during which she lost all her hair. Her mother, Lisa Donelon, 49, from near Bury, Manchester, said Annie felt exhausted and saw no improvement from B12 injections. 'We thought it might be hormones, migraines, or stress from her exams. When I got the call about the lesion, I can't describe that feeling,' Lisa said.
Ongoing treatment and fundraising
Follow-up scans have not confirmed whether the tumour is completely gone. The family is now exploring clinical trials and private international treatments not available on the NHS. They are raising £100,000 for immunotherapy in Germany, which involves creating a personalised vaccine for Annie's cancer. Lisa said, 'We can't just sit around. She wants her life back and to return to university.'
Annie has already undergone molecular profiling in London and visited a hospital in Paris for targeted therapy. Once recovered, she plans to switch to biochemistry to pursue clinical science and develop future treatments for conditions like hers.
Expert comment
Dr Simon Newman, chief scientific officer at The Brain Tumour Charity, said: 'People like Annie deserve access to safe, effective treatments without searching online for options. We urgently need more treatments to go through UK clinical trials so families can access tested therapies closer to home.'
For support, visit The Brain Tumour Charity website for information on symptoms, living with a brain tumour, and clinical research.
