Birmingham friend's brain tumour motivates London Marathon runner

Mary Fitzpatrick-Greening said her friend Abi Smith's brain tumour diagnosis is her motivation for the marathon

A woman says trying to find a cure for her best friend's brain cancer is her motivation for running the London Marathon this year.

Mary Fitzpatrick-Greening, 28, from London, met Abi Smith, from Birmingham, at school when they were 11 years old.

In 2019, doctors discovered Ms Smith had a brain tumour after she suffered severe double vision.

"Knowing Abi will be there to cheer me on will make it all the more special," Ms Fitzpatrick-Greening said.

Ms Smith was on a family holiday in America when she began to suffer the symptoms but investigations by local medics proved inconclusive.

When she returned home, she was admitted to Queen's Hospital, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, where doctors found the high-grade glioma on her brain which stretched to her spine.

Surgery removed the tumour from her spine and she underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy to treat the remainder on her brain, charity Brain Tumour Research said.

Doctors found Abi Smith had a brain tumour on her brain which stretched to the top of her spine

Finding out her best friend had a tumour was "surreal", Ms Fitzpatrick-Greening said.

"We were both in our early twenties [at the time], and at that age you think you're somewhat invincible," she added.

"I saw her as soon as she came out of surgery and we both burst into tears.

"It was shocking to see how quickly she had deteriorated in a short space of time; she temporarily lost her ability to swallow but was still the smiling Abi I know."

Mary Fitzpatrick-Greening will be fundraising for Brain Tumour Research

Ms Fitzpatrick-Greening said she wanted to raise more than £3,000 for Brain Tumour Research in the marathon on 23 April.

"Having a training plan and reason to run certainly helps motivate me on the cold and wet days," she said.