A young mum-of-four is trying to raise £80,000 to get treatment for her brain tumour in America – after being told by specialists it was inoperable.
Trudie Murphy, 36, is hoping medics in the US will be able to offer potentially life-saving treatment after what she initially thought was MS turned out to be cancer.
A biopsy and chemotherapy have both been ruled out by experts in Scotland due to the location of the 1cm tumour on Trudie’s brain.
It means she doesn’t know how aggressive the cancer is, although medics suspect it is currently low grade.
But if left untreated Truie said she will inevitably die from the tumour.
Doctors in Scotland have said she could receive radiotherapy but it would be as a last resort to extend her life.
In a bid to fight the disease pals have set up a fundraising page to raise the £80,000 needed to go to America.
Trudie, from Tranent, East Lothian, said: “When they told me it was inoperable it hit me like a ton of bricks.
“It’s like having a noose around your neck and someone tightening it – you have no control.
“They said they couldn’t biopsy it and they would just monitor it at three months intervals.
“In America they would biopsy it and potentially remove it.
“I could be left with some paralysis, but I would much rather that and be able to be here with my kids than gone forever.”
Last October Trudie, who works in Asda, began to develop a tingling sensation in her hands and arms.
She went to the doctor and was eventually referred to hospital for an MRI after she feared she had Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
But she was given the devastating cancer diagnosis in June and is now fighting for treatment so she can be with her children Josh, 17, Naomi, 15, Zak, 11, and Archie, aged eight.
Trudie said: “Last October I had some tingling in my hands and finger tips and a bit of numbness, but I didn’t think anything of it.
“It started to progress up from my hand and began causing me pain – it felt like I had no skin around my bones, like my wrist might snap.
“I went to the doctors and they gave me some pain medication but it started going into my hips and my legs.
“I felt my legs could give way, like when you’re drunk and staggering, it was affecting my balance.
“My friend who has MS said the symptoms were very similar to hers so I went back to the doctors and fought to be referred to neurology for an MRI.
“I suffer from anxiety so initially they said it could be that, but that they would do an MRI anyway to rule anything out.”
Two days after her MRI Truide was called back to the hospital and told to bring someone with her.
She said: “I knew then something wasn’t right but I just thought it would be MS.
“I was shocked when they told me, but I just assumed they would remove it and I would get chemo.
“The night before the appointment I actually googled brain tumour symptoms.
“It was a bit random, and I didn’t even tell my husband I had looked it up, but it was like a sixth sense.
“I thought it would be better to plan for the worst.”
Truide was told by doctors they suspect she has astrocytoma glioma, but said there is no way to be sure without a biopsy.
She said: “They think it’s low grade but I will die from it.”
Trudie now hopes to go to American with husband David, 39, to have the tumour removed.
She has also looked into getting proton beam therapy in Northumberland at a similar cost.
Friends and family rallied round for the online appeal, with more than £6,000 raised.
To donate go to gofundme.com/f/treatment-for-trudie
