Mum's agony as she's told daughter's headaches mean she has 15 months to live

16 May 2023 , 09:49

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Hannah Roberts was told she only had 15 months to live after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer (Image: Gail Iredale)

One mum was left despairing after she was told her daughter’s headaches meant she only had 15 months left to live.

Teen Hannah Roberts had suffered a number of headaches and strange sensations down one side of her body, as well as nose bleeds, before she sought medical advice.

The then 18-year-old from Willington, Derbyshire, was told she had a brain tumour.

But within five days, medics removed it and sent it off for further tests - but the results would turn Hannah and her family’s lives upside down.

In September 2022, Hannah’s mum Gail Iredale was given the heartbreaking news that her daughter had a rare form of glioblastoma - one of the most aggressive and fastest-growing types of brain cancer.

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Hannah Roberts who has glioblastoma (Gail Iredale)

But to make the devastating news even worse, doctors told them that Hannh only had a year and a bit to live and Gail had to break this news to her daughter.

Gail said: "The entire time I was sat there not really listening to what the doctor was saying, I was just thinking how do I tell my daughter that she has got brain cancer and she has only got 15 months to live."

Hannah, now 20, following the diagnosis started palliative radiotherapy and chemotherapy but suffered from the harsh side effects of them both.

As well as the palliative care, Hannah was also temporarily put on steroids for a period that gave her Cushing's disease and saw her gain a large amount of weight, DerbyshireLive reports.

Whilst scans show the cancer has reduced in size, a trait of glioblastoma is that it keeps growing back (Gail Iredale)

Hannah undertook one round of a radical treatment with a Spanish company that was funded by a confidential donor (Gail Iredale)

The young JCB apprentice took everything in her stride, even as she lost her hair, suffered hour-long seizures and severe fluctuations in her weight.

Although scans show a reduction in her cancer, a trait of glioblastoma is that it keeps growing back again and again.

Only around one per cent of people with glioblastoma survive 10 years after their diagnosis, but this hasn’t stopped Gail for looking for ways to help her daughter.

She said: "I had been staring at baby photos of her (Hannah) before she looked the way she does now, thinking how am I going to carry on without her in my life.

As a side effect of the treatments, Hannah lost her hair and suffered seizures (Gail Iredale)

The family are now fundraising to afford the treatment which isn't available on the NHS (Gail Iredale)

"There is no way that I can continue my life without her in it. I can either sit and bawl and cry and wish that things were different or I can get off my **** and do something about it."

Gail has got in contact with a dendritic cell vaccine company based in Spain as a possible way to help Hannah out.

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It’s a radical medical development that isn’t yet available through the NHS and cost around £50,000 per round of treatment.

Gail added: "The form of immunotherapy is used by taking Hannah's blood and creating a vaccine with it to identify the glioblastoma as cancer because there is something in her immune system that isn't identifying that it is cancer."

A confidential donor generously paid for Hannah's first round of treatment but this won't be enough.

Gail and Hannah's family and friends have worked tirelessly to try to raise more funds for treatments, starting four weeks ago and so far having raised £16,000.

A big part of the money raised has come from Hannah's school friend Molly Coxon, 20, who has worked day and night to raise over £4,500 via raffles and has even secured a signed Derby County football to raise funds.

The community has rallied around Gail and Hannah too, with two local landscape companies working through the bank holiday weekend to do up Gail's garden so Hannah has a nice place to spend what could be her last summer.

After hearing about Hannah's story the companies, Regal Garden Design Landscapes and BBL Fencing and Paving, both told Gail that the work would be done for free.

Loved ones are also planning a “Hannah Fest” where they could throw an event for her, including a DJ, car simulator, and a comedian.

Click here to visit her fundraising page.

Joseph Ash