Lorraine, from Hull, sadly lost her husband Fred in 2021.
Lorraine has attended YBTC's in-person and online support groups, and has even organised a fundraising event in memory of Fred to raise funds.
She shared her story with us:
"It was the neuro team at the hospital who first put me in touch with YBTC.
"Not only has the charity given us emotional support, they also gave us fantastic practical help. They gave us lots of information and advice about what help is out there and what you are entitled to.
"They also gave us a grant, which we used to install a shower downstairs, which helped Fred to stay at home until his last few days. Without that, he would not have been able to stay at home for as long as he did.
"After I first lost my husband I joined in the Online Bereavement Support Group. It was really helpful because you could talk about the uniqueness of brain tumour suffering, because we'd all gone through the same thing, losing a partner. Before you experience a brain tumour diagnosis, you can't begin to understand it.
"However I decided to stop going to the Zoom group as I felt that it was no longer helping me.
"What really helped me was the Bereavement Counselling with Laura - she saved me, really.
"It was so wonderful to be able to talk through what I was feeling with her and it's great that I've been able to continue to see her 'in the flesh' at the Hull Drop-in Café.
"The drop-in has been great as it's helped me to connect with other people who understand, from carers and widows to patients and their family members. It's been really rewarding.
"It's enabled me to try and give something back to help people who are going through what we went through. I feel I can give them some practical help and support in return. That's so important, because I really want to be able to give back in some way.
"Fred was passionate about music and loved live music. I asked him about organising a memorial and he said he didn't want that, what he wanted was for everyone to get together and have a good time. So in April 2022 we organised FredFest. Family, friends and villagers came together at a local wedding venue which belongs to a friend. We had three bands playing and raised £1,000 for Marie Curie and £1,000 for YBTC. The event was great too because it was a real opportunity to tell people about the charities and pass on information, as well as raising funds.
"Once I have had my hip replacement done later this year, I'd like to get back into more active fundraising and do some long-distance walks to raise funds.
"There's absolutely no doubt that I'd recommend the charity, they've been so supportive. YBTC were there for us, they were there for me, and they have continued to be here for me.
"YBTC made an absolutely awful situation a lot easier than it could have been. Feeling that someone was always at the end of the phone was a big help.
"The thing we should remember is that brain tumour research is so necessary, but patient care is so important too. The continuing support the charity has given me has just been fantastic but it's not known about enough. That's why I'm an advocate for the charity and like to tell as many people as I can about it.
A huge thank you to Lorraine for kindly sharing her story with us.
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If you'd like to share your story with YBTC to help us raise awareness, please get in touch with
media@yorksbtc.org.uk.
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