Everyday’s a Blessing fund
Raising funds for brain tumour research at The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
Courtney's story, told by Courtney's mother
I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on 9 April 2003. We named her Courtney Lily Hector. She was my first born and my best friend. From the moment she arrived, she always bought us such joy.
When Courtney first began getting headaches, we never imagined that we would lose her. In December 2021 she went to her doctors and they told her to go to the opticians first. They found a shadow and that's when it all started.
The test showed she had a small growth on her brain. She was at risk of going blind and had to have surgery to allow fluid to flow to the opposite side of her brain. The surgery was successful and in February, doctors said Courtney could go back to the gym. Slowly, life was returning to normal.
But in April 2022, the tumour had grown, and Courtney went to The Royal Marsden to discuss her treatment. She began her 6-week radiotherapy treatment in May.
During her treatment she lost all control of the left side of her body. Once the treatment ended, Courtney had to take a chemo tablet once a month for 6 months.
In August, the swelling on her brain had gone down and it looked like the tumour had shrunk slightly. As the weeks passed Courtney started to feel much better, she saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
But after a routine check-up in November, she received a call from the hospital saying they had found tumour cells on the surface of her brain. Not long after this, cells were found on the top of her spine. She was rushed into hospital and taken into intensive care. She went into a self induced coma and her body began shutting down.
On 3 December, Courtney passed away.
She was so brave through all of this. She has always been a very strong person but her battling this brain tumour showed everyone how strong she really was. She fought until the very end and I could not be prouder of my baby girl.
Brain tumours have a 12% survival rate and mostly affect children and adults under 40. 5,300 people lose their lives to a brain tumour each year. Brain tumours cause many children to go blind, and for a short while Courtney experienced this.
More time and money needs to go into the research of brain tumours so that this senseless loss does not have to be experienced by other families. I will continue to raise awareness about brain tumours, and try to help others experiencing this in any way I can. And anyone I know or meet will know my beautiful baby girl's name.
Courtney Lily Hector I love you.