Trudie Murphy: East Lothian mum aiming to raise £80,000 for cancer treatment

Trudie, from Tranent, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in July.

A mum from East Lothian is working hard to raise £80,000 for treatment after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Trudie Murphy, 36, had initially thought that she had Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and after seeing her GP in January was referred to neurology.

An MRI to check her spine and brain was booked in for the end of June, and despite being told that she would receive the results in two to three weeks, Trudie’s phone rang two days later.

“And that was when the nightmare started,” she said.

“I was told that I had an inoperable brain tumour.

“A week later I called my GP for clarity, I needed someone to go through my notes and explain things.

“That was when she mentioned that it was cancerous.

“I asked her to go back and read that bit again - no one had mentioned to me that I had cancer.”

Trudie was later told by an oncologist that they would not be able to perform a biopsy given the location of the tumour, which is at the lower left thalamus region of the brain, and this was when she started looking at other options.

She continued: “Initially we started looking in the USA as I assumed that if there was a UK option, the oncologist would have mentioned it.

“The USA would have been difficult though, on top of the money for the procedure, there would have been living expenses, flights, childcare, it would have been a lot.

“Then I found out about Proton Beam therapy, with a cancer centre in Northumbria.”

Proton Beam therapy is a form of external radiotherapy.

Trudie would be required to go to treatment Monday to Friday, with the weekends off, and would be able to drive there and back, allowing her four children, aged between eight and 17, to stay at school and have as much normality as possible.

The treatment will cost between £60,000 to £80,000.

Trudie said: “It’s not just the radiotherapy though.

“I had a private doctor in London take a look at my tests, and he said there was a problem with the placing of the tumour, and it is possibly blocking my spinal fluid.

“He said there was a chance that I would need an operation to try to avoid that from happening, so I went back to my NHS GP and they moved my next MRI - that was meant to be in three weeks - to straight away.”

The impact of the diagnosis has been devastating for both Trudie, her husband Dave and their family as they struggle to raise funds.

Since launching the fundraiser Trudie, who works as her local ASDA part time, says there have been great acts of kindness and generosity to help her reach her goal.

“The Caves, where we were married 19 months ago, has donated their space for us to hold a fundraiser there.

“And strangers who have seen the page, people I have never met, are doing raffles and sponsored cycles and things.

“It really makes you feel differently about the world.

“I’ve never had to really rely on anyone, and now, everybody coming together like this, it’s phenomenal.

“I just wish it was under different circumstances.”

To donate to Trudies fundraiser, which has so far raised over £18,000, click here.

There is also a link here for any businesses who want to donate or offer raffle prizes.

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