Victoria Hall hopes to inspire others by sharing her brain tumour story

Victoria Hall

Deaf mother-of-six Victoria Hall, from Rochdale, is set to receive her last radiotherapy treatment for a brain tumour on Friday (24 March), and she hopes to inspire others by sharing her story.

Brave Victoria, who has been deaf since birth, said: “I want to inspire the whole world to stay strong together and raise more money for babies and children and whoever is fighting for it, like myself. I have to stay strong whatever life throws at me.”

Victoria will be ringing the bell at The Christie on Friday to mark the end of her treatment.

The mother of six boys (Liam, 14, Billy, 12, Imran, 10, Zeeshan, eight, Kaleem, six, and Harris, two, was diagnosed in 2013 with a low grade gluons brain tumour.

She said: “It was a shock at first, but I was fine because I was told it just needed monitoring in case it grew. There was a chance it might not grow.”

In May 2016, she received the devastating news that the tumour had grown and had a ‘very frightening operation’ to remove the tumour in on 8 June.

Victoria continued: “The op was very frightening, but I came through it okay. The specialists told my family they thought they managed to remove it all.”

However, a few weeks later Victoria was told some of the tumour was left behind. The tumour was classed as a grade II astrocytoma wild type; a tumour that has the potential to grow back even if it was removed.

According to Macmillan Cancer Support, astrocytomas typically start in the brain and sometimes in the spinal cord. They belong to a group of tumours called gliomas; tumours which develop from the main supporting ‘glial’ cells in the brain or spinal cord. Astrocytomas are the most common type of glioma, developing from astrocytes, star-shaped glial cells.

Astrocytomas can develop in most parts of the brain and spread to other parts of the brain or spinal cord. They don’t spread to any other parts of the body.

Victoria then had to complete six weeks of radiotherapy at Christie’s Hospital in Salford, which she started on 13 February.

She said: “My partner, Gazanfar, has been amazing, taking me every day Monday to Friday for six weeks. My kids and Gazanfar are my world. Mum and dad are always there for me too: mum has been finishing work early to pick my children up from school and dad doing things around the house for me. My younger children don’t really understand properly, but Harris tells everyone his mum is poorly and her hair has fallen out. I lost the left side of my hair; I was so gutted but I had to stay strong for the sake of my six beautiful boys. I want to see them grow up into lovely handsome men.”

Victoria explained she received so much support from everyone around her, especially from the staff at Christie’s.

She said: “Christie’s have been amazing. They were fantastic with me being deaf, and were very aware of how I need interpreters for every appointment I go to. All their staff, the nurses, doctors, and radiotherapy staff, are totally outstanding and the best in the UK.

“The boys’ schools and nursery have been fantastic with supporting me, too.”

She is due for a review in six weeks with further follow ups, including a brain scan in the late summer/early autumn, to see if the radiotherapy has been effective.

Victoria added: “Everyone says I never stop smiling and I always inspire them with my updates. I pray and look forward to the future with hope, love and laughter and see my children grow up into young men.”

Victoria is also planning to raise money towards treatment for 18-month-old Gracie Greenwood, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour last year, and also in memory of five-year-old Joshua McCormack, who sadly lost his battle with a similar tumour in January this year.

“Their stories break my heart so much,” she said.