A woman from Millbrook who was left unable to walk after brain surgery is now taking on an ambitious challenge to help find a cure for brain tumours.

Amy Reader, 27, a supervisor bartender, will be taking part in the 7.2km Walk of Hope Torpoint in aid of the charity Brain Tumour Research - just five months after brain surgery left her unable to walk.

Amy said: “It took me six weeks before I could walk and I’m still using an aid on and off. When I saw this challenge I thought it would be a brilliant personal goal and help to raise awareness about brain tumours which, before my diagnosis, I had no idea about.”

Amy has three children, Ethan who is 10, Cole, five, and three-year-old Dylan. Her symptoms started in 2022 with severe and persistent headaches. In October 2022 she was referred for an MRI scan which showed a mass, 4cm x 3cm, on her brain.

She recalls: “I had a phone call to tell me I had a low-grade tumour on my brain. I’d never heard about brain tumours before which I think helped me to take everything in my stride. Because of its size and location - it was growing in the space between my ear canal and brain stem - surgery was my only option.”

On April 6, Amy had an operation to remove the tumour, which was diagnosed as an acoustic neuroma. The procedure left her unable to walk, and impacted her ability to talk and swallow.

Days later she was back in the operating theatre due to a dangerous build-up of fluid.

She added: “I spent two weeks unable to move in a hospital bed so the drain they fitted during the second procedure could do its job. At this point, I couldn’t communicate properly either. I thought I was talking normally but everything came out as a whisper so I had to write on a whiteboard until my voice came back. It took three weeks until I could eat and drink on my own.

“The children have been great throughout everything they’ve seen their mum go through. Although hospital visits were sometimes scary for them, it’s wonderful to now be together at home and we have been going out for family walks in preparation for the challenge, which they’ll be joining me for.”

Amy is now completely deaf in one ear and suffers with facial palsy – a muscle weakness on one side of her face. She is monitored with regular scans.

Just months after surgery, Amy is taking part in a Walk of Hope challenge to fundraising and raise awareness for Brain Tumour Research to help find a cure for this devastating disease.

On Friday, September 30, she’ll be joined by dozens of walkers taking on a scenic route, rich in history and nature with plenty of family friendly activities.

The event is supported by Plymouth Boat Trips who will be donating £1 of every adult fee and 50p of children’s fees to the charity on behalf for all passengers travelling to the event using the Cremyll Ferry.

Amy said: “If taking on this challenge can help or even prevent one person from going through their own diagnosis then I know we are moving in the right direction to eventually finding better treatment and eventually a cure for this underfunded disease.

“I’d love to find a community of walkers who want to do the same and would encourage anyone local to the area to sign up.”

One in three people know someone affected by a brain tumour.

Mel Tiley, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We’re sorry to hear about Amy’s diagnosis. It’s incredible that she is using her Walk of Hope challenge as a tool to aid in her recovery so soon after brain surgery.

“Unfortunately, her story is not uncommon. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002.

“We’re determined to change this but it’s only by working together we will be able to improve treatment options for patients and, ultimately, find a cure. We’re really grateful to Amy for their support and would encourage anyone interested in taking part in a Walk of Hope to visit www.braintumourresearch.org/walk-of-hope.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and 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 the driving force behind the call 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.

To donate to Brain Tumour Research via Amy’s fundraiser, visit: www.justgiving.com/page/amy-richards