Charity walk for Ludlow woman given terminal diagnosis

Jo Davies, pictured with cocker spaniel Fern, suffered severe headaches three years ago

A woman with a brain tumour who was told she only had a year to live, is taking on a charity walk with her family.

Jo Davies, 50, from Ludlow, Shropshire, received her diagnosis in 2019, after suffering severe headaches.

The family will take to the country lanes of the area on 24 September, as part of charity Brain Tumour Research's national Walk of Hope.

Mrs Davies said they were joining in "to make memories".

Step-daughters Teigan and Evie (far left and far right) will be joining Jo and her husband Mark on the walk

"I try not to think about the limited time I have left, instead I concentrate on making memories with [husband] Mark and the girls, they keep me going," she said.

"That's part of the reason why we are taking on the Walk of Hope as a family, to make memories and help others who may be living with their own diagnosis."

The former primary school teacher, who has three step-daughters, said during one half term holiday she "spent most of the week rocking, holding my head in the foetal position".

She added: "I used to suffer from migraines, but I had never felt anything like this."

Jo Davies, pictured in hospital, received her diagnosis in 2019

Mrs Davies was given medication for migraines and told her symptoms could be a sign of neuralgia caused by damaged nerve endings.

With encouragement from husband Mark, 50, and a second opinion from another GP, she was referred for an MRI scan in hospital, where she was given the news of a mass on her brain.

An eight-and-a-half-hour operation confirmed her tumour was a glioblastoma - an aggressive type of cancer. Despite removing much of the tumour, she was given a prognosis of 12 to 18 months.

Three years on from her diagnosis, she now has three-monthly scans to monitor for any regrowth and so far all scans have shown the tumour is stable.

Mrs Davies, seen here with husband Mark, was given a prognosis of 12 to 18 months