Devoted Worthing mum takes on tough challenge in wake of daughter's brain tumour diagnosis

Mum-of-three Shelley Stoner is taking part in the Brain Tumour Research charity’s 10,000 Steps a Day in February challenge.

The 41-year-old’s inspiration comes from her daughter Millie, who was diagnosed with a high grade medulloblastoma in March 2022.

For years, Millie suffered with headaches, vomiting and a lack of balance and coordination. It was only after she was diagnosed with cerebellar ataxia – a sudden, uncoordinated movement of muscle due to disease or injury to the cerebellum – that her brain tumour was discovered.

The 17-year-old, from Worthing, has since had surgery and proton beam therapy and is currently undergoing chemotherapy. She did, however, suffer complications.

Shelley, a business manager, said: “I feel like I’ve aged 10 years in the last 12 months. We’re cautiously optimistic that by the end of Millie’s treatment she will be cancer free, but she’ll still be profoundly deaf in one ear and she’ll still have cerebellar ataxia.

“We don’t know what that means for her future. She has lost a large part of her left cerebellum and now her tumour has almost fully gone, I fear that’s how she’ll be for the rest of her life. The tissues in that side of her brain have suffered atrophy, which means the nerve cells aren’t able to make the connections that help them communicate.

“Her doctors aren’t sure exactly why this has happened, but it could be that her tumour cut off the blood supply to them. We pay for her to have physical therapy and she’s due to have six weeks of intensive rehabilitation in a brain injury centre when she finishes and recovers from chemo. We just hope this helps.”

She added: “Before Millie’s diagnosis I probably walked 8,000 steps a day but since then I’ve spent a lot of time sat in hospitals. I was with her in hospital for the best part of nine weeks during COVID.

“I lost a lot of fitness and put on weight, so, for me, 10,000 steps a day is going to be a big challenge, but I’m determined to do it. It’ll be good for my physical health as well as my mental wellbeing, but I’m going to do it for Millie as much as me.

“If her story can prevent someone else from suffering the same catastrophic damage she has then that’s something positive to come out of this. So much more can be done to change the outcome for other people’s futures and, ultimately, this comes down to research, which is why I support Brain Tumour Research and am taking part in this challenge.”

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “Millie’s story, while heartbreaking, is not unique. Brain tumours kill more children than leukaemia and any other cancer yet, historically, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.

“We’re determined to change this but it’s only by working together we will be able to improve treatment options for patients and, ultimately, find a cure. We’re really grateful to Shelley for taking on this challenge for us and wish her the best of luck with it.”

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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 support Shelley’s fundraising, visit www.facebook.com/donate/57595231729640.