Mum working with Brain Tumour Research to raise awareness

Jennifer Roscoe, 38, is working with the charity Brain Tumour Research to raise awareness after she was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumour in June 2019.

Jennifer Roscoe before her diagnosis

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet historically just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours.

Jennifer is taking on the 100 Squats or Star Jumps a Day in November Challenge to raise ‘vital’ funds to help find a cure.

Jennifer during her treatment

Jennifer, mum to Emmy, nine, and Aria, six, was fit and healthy and says she has a high pain threshold. But at the start of 2019, she started to become very unwell.

READ > 'Stunned' mum repays act of kindness

She said: “I was having regular bouts of vomiting and I was getting such strong headaches. My GP thought I had a recurring sinus infection, so I went to an ear, nose and throat specialist at the private Fairfield Independent Hospital in St Helens.

“I was put on beta blockers to stop the migraines, but they didn’t do anything. I was getting worse and became so bad and lost so much weight that I had to stop working as a pharmacy technician.”

Jennifer Roscoe after her operation

On June 2, 2019, the whole of Jennifer’s left-hand side went numb, accompanied by vomiting and blurred vision. Her husband, David, 43, drove her to accident and emergency at Whiston Hospital. The following day, Jennifer had an MRI scan which revealed she had a brain tumour.

She said: “When I was told, I actually felt relief because I knew I hadn’t been making it all up. I knew so little about brain tumours that it didn’t occur to me that I had cancer. David looked shell-shocked because his dad died from stomach cancer, and he saw the suffering he went through.”

Jennifer Roscoe during treatment

One week later, Jennifer underwent surgery at The Walton Centre in Liverpool and was told that they had removed the whole tumour.

“I bounced back quite quickly and went home after a couple of nights in hospital. That was nicer for the children because they were scared when they saw me with two black eyes with wires attached to me.

“The histology report showed that my tumour was a GBM. I didn’t want to know my prognosis because I don’t believe figures like that. But I’ve since learned that the average life expectancy is around 16 months which isn’t good.”

Jennifer with her daughters Emmy and Aria after her operation

In April 2022, an MRI scan revealed the tumour had grown back in three different areas of Jennifer’s brain. She chose to have chemotherapy, after being given the choice of that or radiotherapy.

Jennifer, from St Helens, said: “It was a huge setback, and I was gutted. This brain tumour has robbed me of the hope of getting old. It’s crushing because there are so many things I want to witness in my girls’ lives, such as seeing them grow up, getting their first boyfriends, and having their own children.

“I was absolutely delighted when Emmy lost her first tooth on Christmas Day last year because I thought that was something I would miss. It was like a present for me.”

Jennifer with husband David before her diagnosis

In July this year, the Roscoe family went to Disney World in Florida, which was at the top of Jennifer’s bucket list of things to do with her family before she dies.

She said: “It was amazing, and the girls loved every minute. It was worth every penny, even though no-one would insure me because of my diagnosis.

“We die once but we live every day, so make the most of the life you have.”

Now, Jennifer is taking on the 100 Squats or Star Jumps a Day in November Challenge, to raise more money and awareness for Brain Tumour Research.

She said: “It is so important to raise money in order to progress research to help others. Just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease, which is infuriating. It’s like it’s the undesirable cancer to fund, like it’s the forgotten one.

“It’s heart-wrenching for families to watch their loved ones die from this. My husband David is awesome, and he does everything for me. He’s such a good man and I would be lost without him.”

Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research said: “We are so sorry that Jennifer has been diagnosed with a GBM. It is an incredibly hard diagnosis for her and her family to deal with. It’s so nice that she has such a supportive and loving family.

“We’re really grateful to Jennifer for taking part in the 100 Squats or Star Jumps a Day in November Challenge, as it’s only with the support of people like her that we’re able to progress our research into brain tumours and improve the outcome for patients like Jennifer who are forced to fight this awful disease.

“I would encourage anyone who is able to take part in the challenge to do so. Not only is it fun, but it gets you fit whilst raising vital funds to help find a cure for brain tumours.”

Jennifer's daughter Emmy losing her first tooth

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and the larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure. The charity is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia and is also campaigning for greater repurposing of drugs.

• To donate to Jennifer’s Facebook fundraiser, please visit:  facebook.com/donate/530222431941408/530222451941406/
• To find out more about the 100 Squats or Star Jumps a Day November Challenge, or to register to take part, visit: braintumourresearch.org/fundraise/100-squats-or-star-jumps