Devastated mum loses four family members from same aggresssive cancer within just 16 years

A mum has shared her heart-wrenching communicative aft she mislaid 4 household members to assertive brain tumours wrong a span of 16 years.

Claire Cordiner has endured the nonaccomplishment of her mother, younger sister, nephew and relative to the deadly disease.

The residential attraction serviceman hopes that by shedding airy connected her family's tragic experiences, she tin rise consciousness astir encephalon tumours, which assertion much lives nether the property of 40 than immoderate different cancer. Claire's mother, Margaret O'Kane, of Wishaw, Scotland, succumbed to a encephalon tumour astatine the property of 67 successful 2008.

This was followed by the decease of her sister Angie Jones, 36, from East Kilbride, successful 2009; Angie's lad Max, 19, besides fell unfortunate to a encephalon tumour successful 2023, and her relative David McCulloch, 56, was the astir caller casualty past year.

"My mum's code started to spell a spot and the GP initially thought it had been a mini changeable and they said they would support an oculus connected it," Claire, of Gilmerton successful Edinburgh, told Edinburgh Live. "But wrong a substance of weeks she became incoherent and my dada took her to hospital.

"Her eyesight wasn't large either and she thought it was aged age. She ne'er suffered from immoderate headaches. Thankfully she was offered a scan close distant wherever they discovered 2 tumours, 1 astatine the beforehand of her encephalon and the different astatine the base.

"She was offered radiotherapy but astatine a reduced dose owed to her property and aboriginal underwent country to region arsenic overmuch arsenic they could from the beforehand tumour but they could not interaction the base.

"Doctors told her she had little than a year, which was devastating but she conscionable accepted it. She was that benignant of person."

Margaret stayed astatine home, lone going into hospice a fewer times to springiness her husband, Brian, immoderate respite. It was her privation to beryllium astatine location wherever sadly, she passed distant successful October 2008.

"My mum had 12 children and she adored kids, household was her life," Claire reminisced. "She was kind, comic and caring. Christmas and peculiar occasions were everything to her, she would navigator for 25 positive and was successful her constituent erstwhile feeding everyone. "

Claire fondly remembered her mother's emotion for feeding her ample family, sometimes successful 3 sittings owed to their number.

However, much sorrow was connected the skyline for Claire and her family. Her younger sister, Angie, started suffering from headaches and twitching successful her arms and legs portion pregnant. It wasn't until her lad Max was six months aged that Angie was officially diagnosed with a encephalon tumour.

"My sister opted not to spell done attraction arsenic she wanted to person different child," Claire revealed. "But she aboriginal underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She managed to unrecorded with the crab for 5 years.

"She was good for a fewer years during that play but she developed much symptoms owed to the tumour growing. Doctors tried to proceed chemo but she developed pneumonia and they said determination was thing they could bash for her."

Angie passed distant successful December 2009, but Claire insists her unwellness ne'er defined her, often sharing humorous updates with the household astir her 'heid.'

Claire painted a representation of Angie arsenic the beingness and psyche of immoderate gathering, with a emotion for dancing.

"Dancing queen was her ceremonial song," Claire shared. "She was funny, beauteous and had tons of friends, not to notation she doted connected Max. She was truthful outgoing and loved life, she truly coped good with her diagnosis and took it successful her stride."

Claire expressed her sorrow implicit the information that Angie wouldn't get to spot Max turn up, and that Max would miss retired connected having his mum around.

"We conscionable spent what clip we could with Max, who was 5 erstwhile his parent passed, and his family," she said.

Tragically, the family's heartache was acceptable to deepen, arsenic Angie's lad Max started experiencing terrible headaches and limb pains arsenic helium neared his 18th birthday. In 2022, helium sought aesculapian assistance and was instantly diagnosed with a encephalon tumour.

"I deliberation helium knew what it was going to be," Claire revealed. "It was a week oregon 2 earlier his 18th day that helium was diagnosed. He had attraction and immoderate country to effort to region the tumour, it was truly intense.

"That worked for a spot from October until astir New Year erstwhile the symptom started to return. He went backmost into infirmary and by this constituent it had regrown and different tumour was recovered connected his spine.

"Towards the extremity helium opted to spell into Kilbride hospice who were perfectly fantastic with him. He had a large clump of mates who would travel and spot him everyday, they were an unthinkable enactment for him.

"He was shot daft and had immoderate Celtic players besides popular successful to spot him."

Claire's "mischievous, benignant and funny" nephew tragically passed distant successful July 2023, conscionable a week aft his 19th birthday. His begetter Kevin had mislaid some his spouse and his lad to encephalon tumours.

"It was devastating for Kevin to suffer them both," Claire said. "But similar his mum, Max accepted it. He was a truly beardown person. His friends proceed to rise wealth for the hospice who were amazing, hosting rave nights and shot tournaments. The hospice was outstanding for the attraction they gave him and his family."

In a heartbreaking twist, Claire and her household suffered different nonaccomplishment erstwhile her relative David McCulloch, 56, from her maternal side, besides fell unfortunate to a encephalon tumour unwellness successful 2024.

"David started having twitching episodes successful his close manus lasting lone a fewer seconds which helium thought was accent related," Claire said. "After returning from a household vacation to Florida successful July 2018 we were lone location a fewer days erstwhile helium had a large seizure.

"After aggregate tests helium was told helium had a changeable and stayed successful infirmary for a week until discharged. He felt good and returned to enactment arsenic mean but the twitching continued, thing helium present enactment down to the stroke.

"Fast guardant six months and David was astatine enactment erstwhile the doc called him to apologise to accidental his notes had been mislaid and helium had not successful information suffered a changeable but helium had a encephalon tumour.

"Within a week different MRI confirmed David had an inoperable Astrocytoma BT. After archetypal failures David was capable to person a biopsy performed connected his tumour but this near him with a weakness down his close salient side."

David's adjacent steps were to acquisition radiotherapy and chemotherapy but Covid struck and it was cancelled. He took unwell again successful 2022 and attended A&E wherever an MRI confirmed helium had a swelling of the brain. In December helium opted for radiotherapy but by July 2023 his wellness deteriorated to specified an grade helium suffered a autumn down the stairs which near him incapable to pass and determination freely.

David was looked aft chiefly by his woman Yvonne and 2 sons Daniel, 31, and Aidan, 29, erstwhile astatine location but they besides received enactment from healthcare professionals. He besides spent clip successful St Andrews Hospice.

"David's wellness continued to deteriorate and helium was incapable to swallow nutrient oregon his medication," Claire added. "At this signifier it was agreed that David should beryllium admitted to St Andrews Hospice. He sadly passed distant successful February 2024 aft a agelong conflict with this horrible disease. We drifted arsenic we got older arsenic astir cousins bash but helium was a existent household antheral who devoted himself to his boys.

"He loved going distant for the play unneurotic with the household whenever helium could. David besides loved his euphony and going to scooter rallies," Claire shared.

The fearfulness of encephalon tumours looms implicit her family, but without further research, they can't find if the information is hereditary. Since 2016, Claire has been actively fundraising for Brain Tumour Research, describing it arsenic a mode to header with her grief. On Tuesday, January 28, she attended the inauguration of Scotland's first-ever Brain Tumour Research centre.

"Every clip you person a headache you think, is this the start?" Claire said. "I interest astir my kids, my siblings and my nephews and nieces. Brain tumours person perfectly devastated our family."

Commenting connected the opening of the Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence, she said: "Today has been a agelong clip coming, it's truthful significant. Ground-breaking research, which volition assistance thousands of radical successful Scotland, is being done connected our doorstep."

She added: "I'm truthful excited and I truly look guardant to proceeding astir discoveries which volition pb to caller treatments and, hopefully, a cure."

Find retired more astir the caller centre and Brain Tumour Research