Doctors tell Devon mum she 'shouldn't be alive'

A brave Devon mum-of-five who was told by doctors she 'shouldn't be alive' after suffering a stroke, a cancerous brain tumour and then sepsis on the brain is now facing an anxious wait to find out if she will require major brain surgery. Alison Strong, 50, of Drewsteignton, is currently receiving treatment to stop the tumour from growing.

Next March she will find out whether it has been successful or not. In the meantime, she is determined to remain positive but admits it is 'petrifying' living with a brain tumour.

Alison was first diagnosed with a low-grade meningioma - a non-cancerous brain tumour that grows slowly - in 2019 after suffering a stroke at home. She made a full recovery from the stroke, however, just days before Christmas in 2023, a scan revealed her tumour had turned cancerous.

"It felt like my whole world had fallen apart," recalled Alison. "I cried for weeks, but I knew I couldn’t waste time feeling sorry for myself. I have to be strong for my children and keep on fighting."

Alison was put on a 12-month-long treatment programme of targeted stereoscopic radiotherapy to treat the tumour. Then in August of this year, she was rushed to hospital after having stomach pain and cold sweats.

She believed it might have been a response to the treatment she was undergoing but while waiting in A&E she suffered a seizure. Tests revealed Alison had developed sepsis on the brain as well as encephalitis which causes swelling on the brain.

Alison said: "They put me in intensive care on a ventilator. My husband Andrew was told that they didn’t expect me to last two days. Somehow, I got through it, and I woke up six days later. Doctors told me I shouldn’t be alive."

Alison is continuing with her radiotherapy treatment, which will end in four months' time. If it has failed to sufficiently halt the tumour’s growth, a major operation will be required to attempt to remove it.

Alison said: "Due to its location in my brain, surgeons have said it will be extremely difficult to remove. I’m scared to death at the thought of someone cutting my head open, but I’ve got to be positive. You think about it every day, but you’ve got to keep going and remain hopeful. If you give up your body will too."

Despite her own health problems, Alison has pledged to help raise funds for Brain Tumour Research by taking part in the charity’s 99 Miles in November challenge which is the equivalent of 3.3 miles or 8,250 steps which can be done by walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming or any other way.

Alison said: "Even if I’m not here, if the money raised through this challenge can help someone in the future I will have done well. Nobody should go through this. Living with a brain tumour is petrifying. You can be walking around not knowing you’ve got it. So much more needs to be done to defeat this terrible disease."

Alison's bravery is an inspiration to others and she has been commended for wanting to help others by the Brain Tumour Research.

Louise Aubrey, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Alison’s determination in the face of this disease is a true inspiration. Despite all she has been through, she is still fighting.

"Unfortunately, we have seen an increase in the number of brain tumour diagnoses by 11 per cent in the last decade. Despite this worrying trend, only one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002."

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. To donate to Alison's fundraiser, please click here.