Kim Borthwick with her twin boys (Image: Kim Borthwick/PA Wire)
A mum of two says she intially thought headaches she was suffering were a result of a Christmas burnout – only to be diagnosed with incurable brain cancer. Kim Borthwick, 35, from Glasgow, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour on January 18, only a week after symptoms began.
It followed after a busy festive period with her husband Ross and four-year-old twins Max and Freddie, and when she developed a headache. Kim initially thought she had just overdone it. “I remember saying, ‘I need to lie down’. The headache was unbearable,” she told the Press Association. “Then my hand started tingling and I lost feeling down one side. I was being sick.” Kim says she “just knew something wasn’t right, but I’d never experienced migraines before so I put it down to that”. Following several visits to her GP, Kim was referred to A&E for an urgent CT scan.
Kim said it’s ‘too late’ for her, “It’s too late for me,” she said, ‘but I want to make a difference for those who come after me’. (Image: Kim Borthwick/PA Wire)
Kim was told she might have to undergo surgery that evening. She has credited NHS staff with saving her life, saying their swift action has given her more time with her two boys.
However, she is realistic about her prospects, given that if she makes it to her 40th birthday she will one of the longest-surviving 10% of people diagnosed with her type of cancer.
But Kim said the knowledge of this has led to her treasuring every moment with her children. “I don’t know if I’ll see them start school,” she said.
“You take those little moments for granted until you realise they could be taken away. My diagnosis has given me the clarity to enjoy every moment I have with my boys.”
“I know I would have made a bloody good granny,” she added.
Kim said her experience has also brought home the lack of attention and resource given to tackling brain cancer, where survival rates in the UK have have remained unchanged for decades.
She said this felt like an “injustice” given survival rates for many other cancers have “dramatically” improved over the same period.
Kim has joined the Brain Cancer Justice (BCJ) campaign group, which is urging politicians to provide greater support and funding for rare cancers.
They’re also calling for a dedicated minister for rare cancers to ensure continuity in research, funding and policy.
She bravely shares her story during Glioblastoma Awareness Week (Image: Kim Borthwick/PA Wire)
“I have a fire in my belly to effect change for people diagnosed with brain cancer in Scotland,” she explained. “It is difficult to accept, but it’s unlikely I will benefit from these changes.
“I can’t accept this diagnosis knowing we could be doing so much more in Scotland to support people with brain cancer.
“There’s been no change to outcomes for people diagnosed with brain cancer in 30 years, and brain tumours remain the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40. To me, that is scandalous.”
Kim pointed to the fact patients in other G7 countries routinely receive surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy as standard treatment, along with treatment using the Optune device, which slows the growth of cancer cells.
She said this combination isn’t routinely available in Scotland, leaving many families having to navigate treatment options, clinical trials and additional support on their own.
Kim also said tumour samples in Scotland are not routinely “fresh-frozen” during surgery, which she said means patients in Scotland become ineligible for clinical trials and emerging genomic treatments that require preserved tissue samples.
“These aren’t cures,” she said. “Nobody is pretending they are. But they give people more time with the people they love and, ultimately, that’s what matters.”
She bravely shares her story during Glioblastoma Awareness Week, and said she hopes future families might hear a different conversation, be offered more options and face a different outcome.
“It’s too late for me,” she said, “but I want to make a difference for those who come after me.”
Angela Constance, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care of Scotland, said: “I am grateful to Kim and all campaigners for their continued advocacy on brain cancer, and welcome efforts being made to raise awareness.
“We share their desire to further improve cancer survival and are taking action to improve the awareness and earlier diagnosis of cancers in Scotland. I would encourage anyone with unusual or persistent symptoms to contact their GP practice.
“We published our Cancer Strategy for Scotland in 2023, with a focus on less survivable cancers, such as brain tumours, and improving their outcomes.
“We welcome innovation in cancer care and continue to consider emerging evidence on new treatments and technologies to ensure patients can benefit from clinically effective advances.”
You can find out more about BCJ and its campaign to make brain cancer treatable rather than terminal on their website.
