New mum learns to speak again after brain tumour

Carly Beasley's speech is "almost back to how it was before surgery"

A new mother from Chippenham has surprised doctors with the speed at which she has learned to speak again after her brain tumour was removed.

Carly Beasley, 35, defied her doctors' expectations by regaining her speech within a month of brain surgery at Southmead Hospital in August 2022.

Previously she had been warned it could "take years" for her to learn to speak.

"Thanks to the support I have had, I feel it's almost back to how it was before surgery", she said.

Speaking during Brain Tumour Awareness Month, she added. "It's been hard to live with my diagnosis and everything that it brings, alongside being a mum.

Ms Beasley was allowed to go home for her daughter Ivy's first birthday

"I crave my version of normal which is finishing treatment and going back to work.

"Having (her daughter) Ivy has got me through the tough times and I can't wait for the day where I can be a working mum."

Ms Beasley, an account manager, was diagnosed with a grade 2 astrocytoma at the end of 2017 following a seizure.

She had part of the tumour removed in January 2018 but a follow-up scan last January showed a slight progression.

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She underwent more surgery at Southmead Hospital after which she spent one week in intensive care.

Ms Beasley returned home in time to celebrate her daughter Ivy's first birthday in August.

She is now preparing for her next cycle of chemotherapy, which is due to finish in August.

"The type of tumour I have is slow-growing so I always knew that I would need further treatment. I struggled with the hair loss but I have been able to cover that up with the rest of my hair.

"I've been very emotional during my treatment, feeling everything more intensely than if I was recovering only from surgery," she said.

Since her diagnosis, Ms Beasley alongside family and friends has raised more than £10,000 for Brain Tumour Research.

Ms Beasley spent a week in intensive care following her brain surgery

• Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer

• Every 90 seconds someone is admitted to hospital with a brain injury

• One in six people have a neurological condition and they account for one in five deaths

• Neurological problems account for 800,000 hospital admissions every year

• Despite this, historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours

Source: Brain Tumour Research