Shortly after celebrating her 18th birthday, Pippa Simpson packed her bags and moved out of her family home to follow her dreams of becoming a musician in London.
She earned a place at Goldsmiths College and started learning everything she could about the tough industry she hoped to conquer.
But during her first term she suffered a seizure and after numerous tests was diagnosed with epilepsy.
She carried on as normal, still signing and playing, but just five months later in May 2018 it happened again.
Doctors upped her meds and she went back to normal life again, but at the end of the year she suffered the worst one yet.
She told Mirror Online: "I just had this really weird feeling. It was like deja vu but it lasted a lot longer. That's the only way I can explain it."
She went back to the hospital for more tests and was then given a devastating diagnoses.
"I knew something was wrong, you can tell by the doctor's tone. He sat me down and just told me I had a brain tumour.
"I had an indescribable feeling of anger, pain and upset. I felt like my whole world had come crashing down, which I know sounds really cheesy.
"The doctor basically said this is going to be a rocky year for you. He was preparing me."
Doctors had missed the tumour in the first round of tests and it had grown 2.5cm in the year. A week later she had brain surgery.
The operation was a success and she started six gruelling weeks of radiotherapy to treat the remaining cells.
"I lost half of my hair, that had been one of my biggest fears. As a young woman it was the scariest thought ever."
But Pippa was determined not to let it get her down, and started looking into wigs.
She said: "I embraced it and just became obsessed. It was quite fun.
"They’ve helped me to feel better and have had a really positive impact on my mental health.
"I got into them after the Little Princess Trust provided me with a free one, made from real hair. I realised they can look so authentic.
"From there I started experimenting with different lengths and colours and when I found a pink one, I just got carried away. Now it’s an addiction but one that is finding positive out of a tough situation."
But three months later when she went for the follow up scan it shows she had relapsed.
"I wasn't expecting it as all as I had had no symptoms. Then I just knew I was going to have to start over again."
She was booked in for more surgery - this time a craniotomy, meaning part of her skull was cut away so doctors could treat her brain directly.
She said: "This time around I feel much more positive. In the time since my brain tumour diagnosis, I resumed my studies and began a three-year course in music production closer to home at Leeds College of Music.
"In spite of five hours of brain surgery, three weeks recovery, six weeks of radiotherapy, losing my hair, 19 MRI scans, 20 blood draws, 20 IVF injections to freeze my eggs and, most recently, a relapse, I passed my first year of uni with a 2:1. I feel so proud of myself."
Pippa found support from a number of Facebook groups, including Cancer Chicks.
The operation was a success and she was put on a new type of oral targeted chemotherapy which she will take for the rest of her life.
She went for a follow up scan just before Christmas last year, which came back all clear.
"I didn't really know how to react. I didn't know if it was true. I was at the hospital by myself.
"I had to tell someone so the Uber driver was the first person who found out."
She stopped in at the local shop to celebrate to buy a bottle of fizz to take home to her mum and sister to celebrate, and ended up telling her old music teacher who was in the queue behind her.
When she finally got home she could break the news to her family.
"We were all just crying, it was just amazing."
Pippa is now focusing on her studies and trying to decide what she wants to do when she graduates.
"I managed to track, I don't really know how.
"When you're in the whirldwind of cancer you just find out who you are and how strong you are.
"I wanted to beat cancer in a sense of it wouldn't ruin every aspect of my life.
"You feel like you're out of control the whole time. I was just clinging on to what I could control."
Looking ahead, Pippa is trying to decide between a career in the music industry or in support work.
Follow Pippa's journey on Instagram at @pippablog.
Brain Tumour Research is dedicated to raising funds for continuous and sustainable scientific research into brain tumours.
It is a leading voice calling for greater support and action for research into what scientists are calling the last battleground against cancer.
