Jane Roberts, 47, has already had to face “things I never imagined” since her diagnosis with a brain tumour in March last year. Jane, who works in HR and is married with an 11-year old daughter, visited her GP after noticing varied symptoms, including memory loss, brain fog, fatigue, irritability, and itchy skin and ears. “I was convinced it was perimenopause,” she said. “Friends had just started HRT, and I assumed it was just my turn.” When her GP ordered further tests, including a CT scan, Jane worried about wasting NHS resources.  

Being told that she had a brain tumour was “heartbreaking” – and it was a further blow to learn that her tumour is incurable and inoperable. Currently in good health, she has regular scans to monitor her tumour, which is stable at the moment. But coming to terms with her diagnosis is understandably difficult: “I’m still figuring out how to live with this long-term.  Physically, I feel well — and I’m incredibly grateful for that. But mentally, it’s been very tough,” she said. “I fear for my husband and daughter, and the impact my loss would have on them.” 

Jane has never considered herself a “proper runner.” But this Sunday, April 19th will see her line up for the ABP Newport Half Marathon, alongside a 14-strong team of friends, who are taking on the Half Marathon and the 10k to raise funds for The Brain Tumour Charity. She’ll be wearing a unique costume, made for her by a local seamstress,  Samantha Batlle, and will run “dressed as a giant brain” to raise awareness of brain tumours. She said: “I thought — if I’m going to do a half marathon, I’m going to do it properly!  If the goal is to raise awareness as well as funds, I needed something that would stand out. I put a call out on my local Facebook group, and a kind local seamstress offered to make one. She’s done all the work for free.

“Since being diagnosed, I’ve become much less worried about what other people think. I’m more willing to be silly, to have fun, and just go for it. 

“I haven’t actually run in my costume yet… so I’m slightly nervous about whether it’ll be too hot, heavy, or rub in the wrong places. That could make for a long few hours! 

“I’m expecting the run to be hard, especially as my training hasn’t been perfect. But when it gets tough, I’ll remind myself why I’m doing it. Every step is raising money. Every step is raising awareness. In a giant brain costume – I’m pretty hard to miss!  

“I’m dreading that my knee might not hold up over the full 21km. I’m prepared to walk if I need to – I won’t give up completely. The run is a reminder to myself that I can do hard things. Since my diagnosis, I’ve already had to face things I never imagined — and this is another one.” 

The run is just one of several events that Jane is organising this year to raise vital funds for research into brain tumours. She held a hugely successful “Candlelight to Dancefloor” event over two nights last month, raising over £10,000 – as well as improving brain tumour awareness in her local community. More information can be found on her instagram page: @memybraintumourandi 

She said: “A huge thank you to everyone for their support. 

“I can’t control what’s happening to me, but I can try to make a difference — however small — for others. The funds raised might support a researcher for a day, a week, a month… and that time could lead to something important. 

“I also want to use my voice. I can’t just sit back and wait for things to happen — I need to feel like I’m doing something. 

“And now that I’ve met others in this community, it’s not just about me anymore. I don’t want this to happen to them, either.”  

Stacey Vincent, from the Community Fundraising team at The Brain Tumour Charity, said: “A huge thank you to Jane for her incredible efforts. We wish her and her whole team all the very best with their half marathon. Every day in the UK, 35 people hear the words ‘you have a brain tumour’ – and unlike other cancers, survival rates have not improved over the last 40 years. 

“We are leading the way in changing this and truly fighting brain tumours on all fronts through our work.  It’s through the incredible efforts of people like Jane and her supporters that we can change these shocking statistics in the future, and bring hope to the  thousands of people who are diagnosed with a brain tumour every year.” 

The Brain Tumour Charity is the UK’s largest dedicated brain tumour charity, committed to fighting brain tumours on all fronts.    

It funds pioneering research to increase survival and improve treatment options as well as raise awareness of brain tumour symptoms and effects to bring about earlier diagnosis.     

The Charity also provides support for everyone affected so that they can live as full a life as possible, with the best quality of life.