"I don’t expect to see brain cancer defeated in my lifetime, but I hope Charlotte might see that breakthrough."
Rebecca
At almost 17 years of age, Charlotte has faced a life unlike most teenagers.
Charlotte’s journey with brain cancer began as an infant, when at 15 months she was diagnosed with a type of brain cancer called ependymoma. Since that time, Charlotte has endured over 11 surgeries and years of ongoing treatments and scans.
Despite the challenges, Charlotte is a happy and dynamic young woman who is fast approaching her 17th birthday.
Charlotte’s mother, Rebecca, first shared her family’s story with Brain Cancer Australia five years ago. We checked back in recently to hear about Charlotte’s progress and learn Rebecca’s efforts to advocate for brain cancer research in the hope it will be defeated in Charlotte’s lifetime.
"In the nearly 17 years since her diagnosis, we’ve seen remarkable advances in other cancers, and it’s hard to accept how slow progress has been in brain cancer. Researchers are doing incredible work in their labs - work that could be transformative - but they constantly struggle for funding," says Rebecca.
Rebecca remains more comitted than ever to raising awareness for brain cancer. She can still remember the urgency and heartbreak of being told that Charlotte - at just 15 months - had a large malignant and life-threatening brain tumour.
"I don’t expect to see brain cancer defeated in my lifetime, but I hope Charlotte might see that breakthrough. With the work that Brain Cancer Australia is doing, I believe that is more likely than ever," Rebecca shared.
Read the full story here.
