Michele - Go Grey in May Day 16

Michele - Go Grey in May Day 16

Each day in conjunction with Go Grey for May, I’m sharing incredible stories of our community of Brain Cancer Warriors. Buy a T shirt, Beanie or wear an old grey t shirt to support the movement around Brain Cancer. 


Michele Grumley
63 years old
A new grandma too beautiful Alice Aurora (she was only 2 months when mum found out) has 4 children, and a husband who she has behind. :(
When my mum came to help me look after my baby in late September 2020, she wasn't finishing her sentences when talking to me, and when we went for a walk, she kept telling us that she was trying to get her bearings. "This was strange and I asked her why she didn't finish her sentences? Mum just said she was bored to talk. i just put it down to mum being excited about being a new grandma.
Mum found out she had a tumour in November after teacher her class at TAFE, and the numbers were all jumping around, and she was having trouble writing.
On December 2, she had the operation to remove a large lesion at the back, and they couldn't remove one at the front as it was inoperable. Mum kept telling us children to say "benign, benign, benign! Hoping the cancer was Benign. But later I found out that mum told my dad she knew it wouldn't be benign, and she was new in her heart, it was serious. :( Mum was so strong in the way she was handling the situation, and that goes to show you what an amazing lady she was.

On the 4th of December, it came back that mum did have brain cancer, and it was GMB, a very aggressive form of brain cancer, so she had to recuperate for a couple of weeks and then straight into chemo and radiation

Mum went through chemo and radiation for 2 months, and then she got to go home for a few months and was going to start the stronger chemo in a few weeks.
My mum said that someone had to get this disease, and it just happened to be her. :(

My mum started to lose ability in her left side sometimes, and she had a few falls due to her not being able to lift her legs. Mum would get exhausted and have to sleep a lot during the day, and lost that spark to life. She became super obsessive over things and would get fixated on what she wanted. She never got head aches though, which I'm super relieved about, because I heard they can be brutal. Mum ended up having a massive seizure on the 21st of March, and she never did come out of this. She continued to have a seizure in hospital (Bairnsdale), with them not realising this, and she was sent off the Melbourne hospital.

The radiation and chemo had little effect on mums' cancer, and she was never given other options to fight this. We wanted to go down different avenues with fighting this cancer, but we were told now, as they were still an experimental procedure. That the default treatment was the one she was given. There needs to be more funding into alternative treatments, as my mum only survived 4 months with this horrible disease

Mum ended up passing away on the 23rd or March with family all around her.

My mum was such a beautiful women who loved everyone and no one had a bad word to say about her. She trusted the doctors and the process and i feel like she never had a chance with this disease, as Australia is so behind with dealing with brain cancer. I wish in the future families can get this diagnosis and it not be a Death sentence.
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