Kim Borthwick, a 36-year-old mother from Glasgow, has revealed that what she initially thought was a Christmas headache turned out to be an incurable brain cancer. Diagnosed with glioblastoma—a highly aggressive brain tumour—in January 2026, just a week after symptoms began, she now faces a grim prognosis: if she reaches her 40th birthday, she will be among the longest-surviving 10% of patients with her condition.
From Festive Joy to Devastating Diagnosis
Borthwick had just celebrated the holidays with her husband, Ross, and their four-year-old twin sons, Max and Freddie, when she developed a headache. She initially dismissed it as overexertion, but the pain became unbearable, accompanied by tingling in her hand, loss of sensation on one side, and vomiting. After several visits to her GP, she was referred to A&E for an urgent CT scan, where doctors diagnosed glioblastoma and warned she might need surgery that evening.
“I don’t know if I’ll see them start school,” she said, reflecting on her sons. “You take those little moments for granted until you realise they could be taken away. My diagnosis has given me the clarity to enjoy every moment I have with my boys.”
Advocacy for Change
Borthwick has joined the Brain Cancer Justice (BCJ) campaign group, which calls for greater support and funding for rare cancers in Scotland. She criticised the lack of progress in brain cancer survival rates, which have remained stagnant for decades, while other cancers have seen dramatic improvements. “There’s been no change to outcomes for people diagnosed with brain cancer in 30 years, and brain tumours remain the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40. To me, that is scandalous,” she said.
She highlighted disparities in treatment access: patients in other G8 countries routinely receive surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and the Optune device—which slows cancer cell growth—as standard care. In Scotland, this combination is not routinely available, leaving families to navigate treatment options and clinical trials alone. Additionally, tumour samples in Scotland are not routinely “fresh-frozen” during surgery, making patients ineligible for clinical trials and genomic treatments that require preserved tissue.
“These aren’t cures. Nobody is pretending they are. But they give people more time with the people they love and, ultimately, that’s what matters,” Borthwick said. “It’s too late for me but I want to make a difference for those who come after me. I know I would have made a really good granny.”
Call for a Dedicated Minister
The BCJ group is urging politicians to appoint a dedicated minister for rare cancers to ensure continuity in research, funding, and policy. Borthwick said, “I have a fire in my belly to effect change for people diagnosed with brain cancer in Scotland. It is difficult to accept, but it’s unlikely I will benefit from these changes. I can’t accept this diagnosis knowing we could be doing so much more in Scotland to support people with brain cancer.”
