Brain tumour patient's dream London trip with fiancé after five-year battle

Evanne Hughes was given a big boost after going on a dream weekend trip to London to see the sights with fiancé Adam

A young woman from Tamworth who has battled a rare form of cancer for more than five years was treated to a dream trip to London with her fiancé. Evanne Hughes was just 19 when she was given the heartbreaking news she had a brain tumour.

Evanne was told she had an Anaplastic Astrocytoma WHO Grade 3 brain tumour – which develop in star-shaped brain cells. She has been treated at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham for the condition.

The now 24-year-old has been on an ‘intense’ treatment course, which she said had left her drained and feeling poorly with no energy to do the things she enjoyed. She had longed to visit Kew Gardens in London and was given a boost by Midlands-based The Giles’ Trust Brain Tumour Fund.

READ MORE: Parents of schoolboy in ‘indescribable pain’ on anniversary of SnowDome death

The charity treated Evanne and her fiancé, Adam to a special weekend away to London. The trip included a two-night stay in a suite at the five-star Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel, plus dinner for two at the restaurant.

It included a VIP trip on the London Eye, a tour of London in a black cab, stopping at all the sights Evanne wanted to see and a visit to Kew Gardens. She said: “The whole experience made me feel really special.

"The hotel was incredible, and they really went out of their way to make us feel like their most loved guests. It was a wonderful break away from my treatment, I was really able to go and enjoy life.”

Will Garratt, lead neuro oncology clinical nurse specialist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, is part of the team treating Evanne and has got to know her well over the past few years. He said: “Evanne is amazing.

“Like all our patients, she has been through an incredibly tough time. It’s been great working with The Giles’ Trust Brain Tumour Fund to make the London trip happen.

“When we saw Evanne after her weekend away you could tell it had given her the boost she needed, and it was so heart-warming to hear her mum, Vanessa say ‘I’ve got my daughter back.’ You can really see the difference it made to Evanne.”

Karen Jones, fundraiser for The Giles’ Trust Brain Tumour Fund said: “We were delighted to be able to help give Evanne her dream trip. She spends so much time in hospital, going to various appointments and having different scans and treatments.

“It was lovely to be able to give her a break from that and treat her to such an amazing weekend – something other people her age take for granted.”

The Giles’ Trust Brain Tumour Fund was founded in 2015 by former England and Warwickshire cricketer Ashley Giles MBE and his wife Stine, following her diagnosis and battle with multiple brain tumours. Since the charity was launched it has raised more than £1 million and in 2015 it ‘proudly funded’ the very first brain tumour research nurse at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

The charity continues to grow, funding vital research, investing in state-of-the-art equipment and supporting brain tumour patients. Donations to the charity and more information can be found here.