My Brain Tumour Brought Me And My Mum Closer

In 2008, my life changed forever.

I was twenty-five years old when I called my mum late at night while she was on holiday thousands of miles away. I told her doctors had discovered a massive brain tumour and I was due to undergo emergency surgery in just two days.

For any parent, it’s the kind of phone call that instantly changes everything.

My parents immediately began the long journey back to the UK, desperately trying to make it home before my operation.

“I spent all night trying to get a flight home. Thank God for the time difference and Malaysian Airlines who got me and Claire’s Dad a flight that arrived at Heathrow at 6.30am the day of Claire’s operation. It was the longest flight ever.”
— Mum

They arrived just twenty minutes before I was taken into theatre for a gruelling ten-hour operation to remove a 10cm meningioma brain tumour.

Waking Up to a Different Life

The surgery was successful. Doctors removed the tumour completely and confirmed it was non-cancerous.

But survival was only the beginning.

I woke up with cognitive difficulties, speech problems, anxiety, memory issues and a visual field deficit. The person I had been before surgery suddenly felt very far away.

I had always been fiercely independent. I went to boarding school from the age of eight and spent much of my adult life constantly on the move. Overnight, everything changed.

My mum became my carer.

She helped me walk again, supported me through rehabilitation appointments, repeated words when I couldn’t find them and patiently stood beside me while I learned how to navigate life after brain injury.

“It was a blessing I was retired and had the time to support Claire. Despite the arguments, I knew Claire couldn’t help herself.”
— Mum

Recovery wasn’t linear. It was messy, emotional and exhausting for both of us.

But somewhere between hospital appointments, setbacks and awkward conversations, we became a team.

Finding My Voice Again

To process everything I was going through, I created this blog, Aunty M Brain Tumours, and later wrote my first book, A Brain Tumour’s Travel Tale: Cards On The Table, I Pooed Myself.

Writing became therapy.

It helped me explain to people why I wasn’t the same person anymore — why words disappeared mid-sentence, why my confidence had changed and why everyday life suddenly felt so different.

In 2012, I was invited onto local radio to talk about the book.

I was terrified.

Even today, I still struggle with word-finding after surgery. Sometimes I say completely the wrong thing. I once said, “I can’t find my feet,” when I actually meant my shoes.

So I asked my mum to join me for the interview.

That single decision changed both of our lives.

The Unexpected Radio Duo

During the interview, Mum naturally stepped in whenever I got stuck for words. The presenter loved our chemistry and invited us to return to the station.

Soon, we became the hosts of The Brain Tumour Thursday Show and The Aunty M Brain Tumours Talk Show — a feel-good radio programme dedicated to raising awareness of brain tumours through music, interviews and honest conversations.

We interviewed charities, survivors, doctors and campaigners. We travelled around the UK promoting awareness. We recorded podcasts together and even went on book tours.

What started as a terrifying diagnosis evolved into a platform that connected thousands of people affected by brain tumours.

“It was a great experience and my knowledge of music expanded no end. We always tried to play positive tracks and find the songs requested by our listeners.”
— Mum

The radio show eventually ended in 2016, but it laid the foundations for everything that followed.

Today, Aunty M Brain Tumours has grown into a thriving online community with more than 16,000 followers, supporting people affected by brain tumours across the world.

Why I Turned My Story Into an Audiobook

During lockdown, I revisited my original memoir and rewrote sections to reflect everything that had happened since my diagnosis.

Reliving those years was emotional.

The surgeries. The seizures. The rehabilitation. The fear. The humour. The resilience. The relationship between a mother and daughter learning how to survive a completely new reality together.

And now, for the first time, this story is available as an audiobook.

Hearing the story spoken aloud makes it even more personal. It captures the emotion, vulnerability and determination behind every chapter in a way the printed page never fully could.

This audiobook is for:

• Anyone affected by a brain tumour or brain injury
• Families navigating life after diagnosis
• Carers who rarely get their own story told
• People rebuilding their identity after trauma
• Anyone who needs a reminder that hope can exist even in the darkest moments

More Than Survival

One of the hardest parts of surviving a brain tumour is that people often assume the story ends when the surgery is over.

It doesn’t.

Recovery continues long after hospital discharge. Relationships change. Confidence changes. You change.

But sometimes, out of the hardest experiences, something meaningful grows.

For me, that became advocacy, writing, radio, community and now this audiobook.

Most importantly, it strengthened the bond between me and my mum in ways neither of us could ever have imagined.

“We have become much closer and I am so proud of her achievements and the beautiful woman she has become.”
— Mum

Listen to the Audiobook

My audiobook, A Brain Tumour’s Travel Tale: Cards on the Table, I Pooed Myself, is now available.

It’s honest, emotional, funny in places, heartbreaking in others — but above all, it’s real.

If you’ve ever wondered what life after a brain tumour truly looks like, this is my story.