UPDATE: A 20-year-old student from Kinross, Joscelyne Kerr, has launched an urgent fundraiser to raise £250,000 for treatment after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive brain cancer. This news comes as she awaits critical scan results, with doctors indicating her current medication may no longer be effective.
Joscelyne, a dedicated astrophysics student at the University of Edinburgh, has faced a harrowing journey since being diagnosed at just 18. Initially told she had a benign schwanomma tumour, her condition deteriorated rapidly, leading to a diagnosis of anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (APXA), believed to be the first recorded case in Scotland. “They said I had 12-18 months to live. It was a bit of a smack in the face,” Joscelyne recounted.
Despite the devastating prognosis, Joscelyne has shown remarkable strength, undergoing various treatments including radiotherapy and chemotherapy. While these were unsuccessful, a targeted treatment extended her life by an additional 21 months. However, a new mass has recently been detected, threatening her optic nerve and brain stem.
Joscelyne’s positivity remains unshaken as she aims to turn her challenge into hope for others. “If I do end up dying before it (the fundraising money) gets used, if it doesn’t go to me, it will be used for research so that people going through the same thing as me or something else, they won’t have to go through the hardships I’ve gone through,” she says.
Her mother, Ann Kerr, credits Joscelyne’s bravery for keeping the family strong. “Joscelyne makes my life easy by her strength and positivity. It makes me go, ‘this is OK, we can do this.’” Ann plans a family holiday over Christmas as they await the next critical scan results.
With brain tumours being the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in individuals under 40, the urgency for funding and research is paramount. Currently, only 1% of national cancer research spending is allocated to brain tumours. Hugh Adams from Brain Tumour Research emphasizes the need for government action: “Charities can only do so much; governments need to step up as well.”
This fundraiser represents not just a personal battle but a call to action for increased awareness and support for brain cancer research. As Joscelyne rallies support, her story is a poignant reminder of the human impact of cancer and the urgent need for better funding.
To support Joscelyne’s cause and contribute to her treatment, visit her fundraising page and help create a ripple of hope in the fight against brain cancer.
