Devon Mum Marks Six Years Since Brain Tumour Diagnosis by Backing Wear a Hat Day
A strategic planning officer from West Devon is marking the sixth anniversary of her brain tumour diagnosis by backing a national fundraising campaign to help find a cure.
Magda Robertson, 49 from Beaworthy who works at the University of Exeter, is supporting Wear A Hat Day on Friday 27 March, the flagship fundraising event from the charity Brain Tumour Research. Magda previously took part in 2023, raising £345, and is determined to make an even bigger impact this year as she reflects on her journey since being diagnosed with a meningioma in 2020. The day also marks her birthday, a milestone she wasn’t sure she would make when she started her treatment.
Wear A Hat Day encourages people across the UK to put on their favourite hat, raise money and change lives by supporting the fight to find a cure for all types of brain tumours. Since its launch in 2010, supporters have raised more than £2.2 million, funding vital breakthroughs at Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence and helping to campaign for increased government investment in research.
Magda said her diagnosis came after years of subtle symptoms that went unrecognised.
She said: “Looking back, I had symptoms for years. I had problems with my vision and went to the opticians, but nothing was picked up because it was so subtle. I also had migraines and at one point it felt like I’d been hit in the head. I was sent to the dentist and had my ears checked, but no one considered it could be something in my brain and neither did I.”
It wasn’t until 2020, after developing tinnitus and being referred for further scans, that doctors discovered the tumour. Magda underwent 11 hours of surgery to remove the tumour at Southmead Hospital in Bristol in March 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning she had to face the experience without her family by her side.
Magda donated her tumour tissue to the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at Plymouth University, contributing to vital scientific research aimed at improving understanding and treatment of the disease. By donating her tissue, Magda hopes to play a part in accelerating progress towards better outcomes for future patients.
Magda said: “Donating my tumour felt like a really important way to give something back. If what I’ve been through can help researchers learn more and improve treatments for others, then that means everything to me. Research is the only way we’re going to find better options and ultimately a cure so it’s something I feel incredibly proud to be part of.”
Today, Magda continues to have annual MRI scans to monitor the remaining tumour and is passionate about raising awareness and supporting others affected.
Brain tumours kill more women under 35 than breast cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002.
Letty Greenfield, Community Fundraising Manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Magda for sharing her story and for her continued support of Wear A Hat Day. It’s thanks to people like her that we can keep funding vital research and raising awareness of this devastating disease. We encourage everyone to get involved - wear a hat, share a selfie and donate £5 to help us move closer to a cure.”
Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and 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.
Wear a hat, share a selfie and donate £5 to help fund the fight to find a cure for all types of brain tumours.
Find out more at https://braintumourresearch.org/pages/wear-a-hat-day
You can support Magda’s fundraising by visiting: https://www.justgiving.com/page/magda-robertson-2?utm_medium=FA&utm_source=CL
Photos: Brain Tumour Research
