The Brain Tumour Charity

Camilla's page

Camilla Mckinnon

Camilla Mckinnon

My Story

On the 6th of January last year (2023) my entire family's world was dramatically shattered by the news that my beloved 54 year old Daddy had multiple tumours growing in his brain. In the following weeks he endured tumour bleeds, brain surgery leaving permanent scars, intubation, induced coma, 10 days in the neuro critical care unit and finally a terminal diagnosis of Stage 4 Glioblastoma. There is no treatment available that will stop Glioblastoma, it is always fatal. There is no known cause, and research for brain tumours has not changed for decades. All the consultant told us was that Daddy was "unlucky". 

After over three weeks in hospital, he came home at the end of January for palliative care. He did so well defying the odds of survival. We had been told in hospital he would not survive having the ventilator taken out, that if he didn't die within hours of that we might be lucky enough to have him on the ward for a day or so to say good bye.

Instead of this, he proved how incredibly strong he was and started to improve. Never had we been so happy to see a finger twitch, a toe wiggle, a tiny nod. He tried his hardest during physio sessions to walk, he started to feed himself again, he started talking again. We searched and begged for any treatment for him, but every single path we went down lead to nothing. There was simply nothing anyone in the entire world could do to save his life.

Despite his awful prognosis my brilliant Daddy managed to survive for 5 months in the care of our family, most of it at home. He tried his hardest every single one of those days to help us as much as he could, and always told us he loved us. He died in his beautiful garden, surrounded by all of us, being cuddled and loved right up to the moment he left us. He died decades too soon.

Every year I would come downstairs one Sunday in April to find Daddy watching the London marathon and I'd watch it with him, we would always say it would be amazing to be fit enough to do that, and laugh about how we wished we could do it one day. I had asked Daddy when he was in intensive care and responding to us, if I should run the marathon for him, and he said yes. So here I am, planning to run for my beloved Daddy in 2024 and for The Brain Tumour charity too so hopefully one day they can help find a cure for this evil disease.  

The Brain Tumour Charity

Raising for:

The Brain Tumour Charity
202%

Funded

  • Target
    £2,700
  • Raised so far
    £5,443
  • Number of donors
    100

My Story

On the 6th of January last year (2023) my entire family's world was dramatically shattered by the news that my beloved 54 year old Daddy had multiple tumours growing in his brain. In the following weeks he endured tumour bleeds, brain surgery leaving permanent scars, intubation, induced coma, 10 days in the neuro critical care unit and finally a terminal diagnosis of Stage 4 Glioblastoma. There is no treatment available that will stop Glioblastoma, it is always fatal. There is no known cause, and research for brain tumours has not changed for decades. All the consultant told us was that Daddy was "unlucky". 

After over three weeks in hospital, he came home at the end of January for palliative care. He did so well defying the odds of survival. We had been told in hospital he would not survive having the ventilator taken out, that if he didn't die within hours of that we might be lucky enough to have him on the ward for a day or so to say good bye.

Instead of this, he proved how incredibly strong he was and started to improve. Never had we been so happy to see a finger twitch, a toe wiggle, a tiny nod. He tried his hardest during physio sessions to walk, he started to feed himself again, he started talking again. We searched and begged for any treatment for him, but every single path we went down lead to nothing. There was simply nothing anyone in the entire world could do to save his life.

Despite his awful prognosis my brilliant Daddy managed to survive for 5 months in the care of our family, most of it at home. He tried his hardest every single one of those days to help us as much as he could, and always told us he loved us. He died in his beautiful garden, surrounded by all of us, being cuddled and loved right up to the moment he left us. He died decades too soon.

Every year I would come downstairs one Sunday in April to find Daddy watching the London marathon and I'd watch it with him, we would always say it would be amazing to be fit enough to do that, and laugh about how we wished we could do it one day. I had asked Daddy when he was in intensive care and responding to us, if I should run the marathon for him, and he said yes. So here I am, planning to run for my beloved Daddy in 2024 and for The Brain Tumour charity too so hopefully one day they can help find a cure for this evil disease.