A Scots mum dying from brain cancer is desperate for £80k specialist therapy treatment in Prague.
Trudie Murphy was left ‘devastated’ on Wednesday after finding out her tumour has grown 2mm, leaving her frantically trying to secure more time with her family.
The 37-year-old, from East Lothian, is hoping to travel abroad to Prague for private medical help to attack her inoperable tumour.
Trudie hopes to get Proton Beam Therapy in order to target her cruel cancer in the hope the treatment will extend the time she has with her family.
The mum-of-four has vowed to fight for her life to stick around for her children Josh, 18, Naomi, 15, Zak, 12, and Skye, 9.
Speaking to the Daily Record Trudie said: “When I found out my tumour had grown I was devastated.
“It instantly put me into panic mode and trying to plan for the kids' futures and trying to think of what to do.
“Your mind just goes into overdrive but now the realisation of what this could mean has reduced me to tears at the thought of leaving my kids behind.
“It's grown 2mm which doesn't sound a lot but in your brain, you don't have any extra space for something like this.”
Trudie is unable to have chemotherapy or standard radiotherapy because of where her tumour is located in her brain.
Medics advised the mum that treatments available on the NHS - chemotherapy and radiotherapy - would not only attack her cancerous growth but also the healthy tissue surrounding the mass to kill off any potential new cells. She would be a candidate on the NHS for radiotherapy but not towards near the end of her life to buy her a little more family time.
However, Trudie is determined the therapy in Prague will make a huge difference.
She explained: “My hope is that I will be able to get Proton Beam Therapy which is a type of radiotherapy but so much more accurate to standard radiotherapy.
“It was explained to me that normal radiotherapy beams would cover a larger surface whereas this treatment in Prague is like a pinpoint so it's much more precise.
“This isn't something that I'm going to get out alive from, it's just going to continue to grow.
“I'm a mum to four and really not ready to give up that role anytime soon.”
Trudie was first diagnosed with brain cancer in summer 2020 after suffering muscle weakness, loss of mobility, tingling down her arms and legs, and numbness.
She was referred for an MRI on Monday, June 29th and was given the heartbreaking diagnosis just five days later.
The mum praised her 'lovely' GP who has supported her after her initial diagnosis.
Since then she has launched a GoFundMe to help her get private care and operations in Prague to help her live as long as possible.
So far she has raised almost £50,000 towards her £80,000 goal for treatment.
In December she forked out £9,510 of her fundraiser money to pay for a private operation in London after doctors feared the tumour was causing a blockage of fluid in her spine.
Her tumour remained stable until November when she started suffering from sore heads that felt like a ‘Chinese burn’ and lasted up to a week.
That’s when doctors discovered her tumour had grown leaving her desperate for the treatment in Prague so she can attack her cancer.
Trudie added: “My family, friends and strangers have been donating to a GoFundMe which was set up when I was first diagnosed but it's still a long way from reaching the target.
“I don't want to live for myself but for my kids.
“If I wasn't a mum, I'd have less of a fight in me.
“There's so many times over these past few months that I've felt like giving up, but then I think of the kids.
“Suffering such a huge loss at their age would impact the rest of their lives, especially my autistic child.
“I'm not ready to cut those apron strings from my kids, they're my world.”
You can donate to Trudie’ fight here.
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