A MUM-OF-TWO diagnosed with a brain tumour has started a campaign to raise awareness of the disease.

Natalie Cash, from Nelson was given the shock news that she has a grade two glioma in her left frontal lobe in February.

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Doctors have said that 90 per cent of the tumour should be operable but the remaining 10 per cent cannot be removed.

The 31-year-old, who works as a carer for children with special needs at Allcare in Blackburn, now wants to raise awareness of brain tumours and has thanked family and friends for rallying around since her diagnosis.

Natalie first realised that something was wrong after she suffered two epileptic fits within a fortnight, after previously not having suffered from the condition.

She said: “I had been off work for a fortnight and not been feeling very well. I had been getting headaches and was feeling very tired, but I had put it down to working night shifts and doing too much.

“I had gone into the bathroom at about 1.30pm and was woken up after having a seizure at 3.40pm when my brother-in-law rang up asking if I was going to come to school to pick my children up.

“When I got to the school he said I was talking like I was drunk and then I felt really tired.

“On February 10 I had another fit, but this time I had seizure type symptoms where I was struggling to speak and move.

“I called 111 and they sent a rapid response team and an ambulance which took me to Airedale A&E where they kept me in and said they needed to run brain scans.

“The initial scan showed that there was an abnormality so they sent me for an MRI scan the following day and then they told me that I had a tumour in my brain.”

As a result of the tumour Natalie now is now on epilepsy medicines and she has had to teach her children Jon-James, eight, and Stephen, seven, what to do if she has a fit.

At the moment doctors are unsure how fast the tumour is growing but plan to operate to remove the operable 90 per cent.

Since the diagnosis she has been unable to work and friends and family have rallied around to raise funds to help ease the financial strain the family has been put under.

“The head teacher of Holy Saviour RC Primary School where my boys go to school has been amazing. The school decided to have a raffle on April 1 and have a crazy hair/hat day on March 27,” added Natalie.

“I can’t thank my family and friends enough.”

All money raised will be split with 25 per cent going to Brain Tumour Research and 75 per cent to help Natalie.

Anyone wanting to buy raffle tickets or donate prizes can do so in person at Holy Saviour School in Reedyford Road, or by calling Laura Roach on 07722625341 or Becca Mousley on 0751734435.

Get information on Wear A Hat Day by visiting www.braintumourresearch.org/wearahatday.