Ellesmere Port woman completes charity run after shock brain tumour diagnosis

An inspirational grandmother has completed a 55km solo run challenge after being diagnosed with a rare brain tumour.

On 25 July, Sara Crosland, 45, from Ellesmere Port, took on the Sandstone Trail to raise money for the charity Brain Tumour Research. The gruelling challenge saw her pound the 35-mile path, following sandstone ridges from Whitchurch just over the Shropshire border, to Frodsham in Cheshire. The route, which involved a 1,268-metre ascent, took Sara just over 11 hours to complete.

Sara’s amazing efforts came two years after she was diagnosed with a large acoustic neuroma brain tumour, which left her profoundly deaf with no balance on one side and unable to walk. She has overcome facial palsy, swallowing problems and severe nausea and still suffers with impaired vision and fatigue. Sara who, in May 2018, underwent an eight-hour brain surgery at Salford Royal Hospital, said: “It was a huge ordeal but thankfully, a success, as my incredible neurosurgeons managed to remove 100% of the 3.5cm tumour. The craniotomy left me feeling like a completely different person, however. Prior to my diagnosis I was a fit and healthy mum-of-three, who enjoyed running, cycling, hiking and climbing. After the operation I found myself bedridden and completely unrecognisable from who I really was. I had horrific double vision and screaming tinnitus. It was horrendous.”

In the days and weeks that followed her surgery, Sara underwent intensive physiotherapy and this has continued in varying degrees since, alongside occupational therapy and neuropsychology.

She added: “I’ve come such a long way in two years, having been determined from the start to not let this experience get the better of me. Five weeks post-op, I managed to ride 10 miles on my bike, after medics told me I might never be able to cycle again. The following week I cycled 30 miles. Since I found my cycling legs, I’ve stopped at nothing to continue my journey onwards and upwards – quite literally! In September I joined a group of friends on a trek of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. I’ve also completed a charity sky dive and I’ve got my photography business up and running again. During lockdown, I finished writing a book about my experiences, which I’m planning to self-publish later in the year. Developing a positive mindset and setting goals has helped me overcome adversity to fulfil my dreams.”

Sara had been training to take on the Chester Half Marathon in May and a charity Lake District 100km Ultra Marathon Challenge in June, alongside her friend and fellow brain tumour survivor Danielle Gibbons. The pair signed up for the event to raise money for Brain Tumour Research and the British Acoustic Neuroma Association (BANA).  However, the coronavirus pandemic meant that the both planned events were cancelled and so Sara had to reinvent her fundraising challenge to something she could do safely.

She said: “I had joked about doing it in the garden but realistically that just wasn’t feasible. I continued to train right the way through lockdown, so I knew I had to find a way to take on an alternative challenge and this was perfect, as I was all on my own, so social-distancing wasn’t an issue. I was supported by my husband Neil and friend Cerries, who met me at certain points along the route to replenish my water supplies and give me some much-needed moral support.” 

Sara, who welcomed her first grandchild Rico into the world during lockdown, is now reflecting on the rollercoaster she has been on over the past couple of years: “Recovering from brain surgery has been anything but plain sailing. The struggle is real, every single day. Completing this challenge marks a real milestone in my recovery and is a huge personal achievement.

“I ran 36 miles (it should have been 35 but I took a couple of wrong turns and diversions due to cows, mud and fallen trees) in 11 hours 26 minutes. When I hit my lowest point, I read messages on my phone to get me through the final 6km, which was the longest 6km of my life! I am so grateful to everyone who supported me and donated to this hugely important cause.”

So far, Sara has raised £604.62 (+£107.50 gift aid) for Brain Tumour Research. To help her reach her £1000 target, visit her fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/anwarriorsteam

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.

Matthew Price, Brain Tumour Research’s Community Development Manager for the North said: “Sara’s commitment to fundraising after all that she has been through is truly remarkable and we can’t thank her enough for her efforts.

“With the cancellation and postponement of many of 2020’s big challenge events – including the Virgin Money London Marathon – we have been continually amazed by the myriad of different ways our supporters have responded to the challenge of finding new ways of raising money for Brain Tumour Research.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and the 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 calling 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 and is also campaigning for greater repurposing of drugs.

Brain Tumour Research is the only national charity in the UK singularly focused on finding a cure for brain tumours through campaigning for an increase in the national investment into research to £35 million per year, while fundraising to create a sustainable network of brain tumour research centres in the UK.

The £35 million a year funding would bring parity with other cancers such as breast and leukaemia after historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours. This increased commitment would enable the ground-breaking research needed to accelerate the translation from laboratory discoveries into clinical trials and fast-track new therapies for this devastating disease. 

Brain Tumour Research is a powerful campaigning organisation and represents the voice of the brain tumour community across the UK. We helped establish and provide the ongoing Secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Brain Tumours (APPGBT) which published its report Brain Tumours A cost too much to bear? in 2018. Led by the charity, the report examines the economic and social impacts of a brain tumour diagnosis.

We are also a lead player on the Steering Group for the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission. 

We welcome the 2018 funding announcements for research into brain tumours from the UK Government and Cancer Research UK – £65 million pledged over five years. However, this potential funding of £13 million a year comes with a catch – money will only be granted to quality research proposals and, due to the historic lack of investment, there may not be enough of these applications that qualify for grants from this pot. We are working through the APPGBT to hold the government to account and ensure this money is spent on research into brain tumours.

Key statistics on brain tumours:

• Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age
• Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer
• Historically, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours
• In the UK, 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour
• Brain tumours kill more children than leukaemia
• Brain tumours kill more men under 70 than prostate cancer
• Brain tumours kill more women under 35 than breast cancer
• Less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers

Pictured - Sara Crosland, from Ellesmere Port, on the Sandstone Trail.