Lobe Yourself

I am so pleased to say that for 2019 I will be officially working with The Brain Tumour Charity as a Young Ambassador. The Young Ambassadors are a group of handpicked 18-25 year olds who have been affected by Brain Tumours and subsequently utilised the resources of The Brain Tumour Charity and want to show dedication and passion to ultimately finding a cure! This role is something I never thought I'd be doing this time last year but it is absolutely my calling! Just 10 months on from my own diagnosis I feel like a completely different purpose bound individual and I will work hard in this team to help secure a cure for all people with Brain Tumours young or old. My journey will begin later this month as I go to an Ask The Researcher event in London to find out what the current projects are for Brain Tumours and ask a few more specific questions. If you want to attend this event you can still buy tickets here:  https://asktheresearcher2019.eventbrite.co.uk/ If you cannot att

As a Neurosurgical Anaesthetic Practitioner I don't often get to see the post-operative side to the patient journey. However, I know that while my Neurosurgery Consultants give good pre-operative information to my patients, not all are as thorough when it comes to preparing for a hospital stay. Utilising my own knowledge and some fantastic online support groups I've devised a list of ways you, or a family member, can prepare for a hospital stay, whether it's surgical or not. Pre-stay: As much as you are comfortable to do so, inform your family, friends or work about what you're going through , ideally direct them to a charity information page to ease the explanation. Let them know which hospital you'll be in and the duration of the stay . Ideally arrange for someone to check on you ! If you have children then please contact the school and let them know what is going on. So many measures can be put in place to ensure they're cared for while

As part of the Positive Stories series I wanted to do an in-depth introduction into how other Brain Tumour Warriors are promoting positivity beyond their own experience.  I work closely with Daniel, who is a Social Entrepreneur and the Founder of New-Fin . New-Fin is a company that seeks to help teenagers with the mental and spiritual aspects following Brain Surgery. At only 19 years old Daniel has survived major brain surgery and is thriving with his new found lust for life, working hard in college and with building his company. Below is a series of images of Daniel's journey. New-Fin was born when Daniel noticed that his integration from hospital to home was something that didn't go so smoothly; I think this is something a lot of people resonate with. When you leave the four walls of the hospital you no longer have that continued specialised care and guidance; this lack of care leaves a lot of teenagers and young adults without the confidence to re-enrol in school,