For many people, minor memory lapses like forgetting names or misplacing items are a normal part of ageing.
But for Trish Gordon, her memory loss came much sooner following treatment to remove a brain tumour.
In September 2013, she was working as a doctor when the right side of her body gave way while she was examining a patient.
Despite initially being given the all-clear, just months later, she suffered a seizure while driving.
A brain scan revealed she had a 10cm brain tumour on her left frontal lobe, called a grade 2 oligodendroglioma.
Oligodendrogliomas account for about 3 per cent of all brain tumours diagnosed, with approximately 500 people diagnosed in the UK every year.
‘I was told I only had five to ten years to live – my whole life was turned upside down,’ says Trish, now 61, a doctor from Scotland.
Trish had the tumour removed in March 2014 through a surgery called an awake craniotomy, which took around eight hours.
The procedure is performed while the patient is awake for part of the operation to protect critical brain functions like speech and movement.
‘I knew there were risks with the surgery, but nothing really prepares you for how much your life can change,’ she says.
‘Overnight, things I’d done without thinking suddenly became difficult.
‘Simple tasks such as walking my son Brodie to school were too much. I would come back and stare at the wall.
‘I was grieving the life I previously had.’
Trish Gordon (pictured receiving chemotherapy in 2014) was diagnosed with a brain tumour after having a seizure while driving
Determined to carry on, Trish tried to return to work but quickly realised the challenges were too great, and she was medically retired in September 2015.
‘Finding words was a big issue for me, and I found it hard to communicate with patients,’ she says.
‘There were some really dark days, but as a single parent, my main priority was to keep fighting for my nine–year–old.’
Then she discovered that a classic card game helped her regain her cognitive function, eventually leading her to re-enter the workforce.
The game that helped Trish is called Bridge, a four-player card game where two teams work together to bid on and win a specific number of card rounds.
‘I’d played bridge growing up and heard it was good for the brain,’ she says.
‘I signed up for lessons at the New Melville Bridge club through the Scottish Bridge Union, and I quickly became hooked.
‘It took memory, teamwork and a little bit of maths. Each week I felt a little bit sharper and a little bit more like myself again.’
The cognitive benefits of playing card games are well documented.
A 2014 study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US showed that people who frequently play games like cards and puzzles have larger brain volumes in key memory areas.
After years of rehabilitation – and countless games of bridge – Trish returned to medicine in 2020.
‘I signed up for bridge lessons and quickly became hooked,’ says Trish
Trish is pictured with her son Brodie after her second surgery in 2022
‘I went through rigorous testing to ensure I was fit to return to my role,’ she says.
‘I’ll never forget treating my first patient again. Returning to work felt like things were finally starting to become normal again’
Trish faced further setbacks when her tumour returned in 2022, and she underwent further surgery to remove it.
A surgically inoperable area was located in 2024, requiring radiotherapy and subsequent chemotherapy treatment.
She was relieved not to experience further cognitive complications.
More than a decade after being told she might have only five to ten years to live, Trish now feels back to full health and is working as a locum consultant.
She is checked every six months to ensure her condition has not worsened. Bridge remains an important part of her life.
‘Every day is a blessing, and I still get so much from playing bridge,’ she says.
‘It is a huge part of my social life, and I try to get along to the club as often as I can. I enjoy learning new things – that’s one of the things I love most about bridge.
‘When I was diagnosed, my biggest concern wasn’t for me – it was for my son. I wanted to be there to watch him grow up.
‘At the time, I didn’t know what the future would look like.
‘More than ten years later, I’ve outlived the original prognosis I was given, returned to the career I love and had the privilege of watching my son grow up.
‘Bridge gave me a challenge when I needed one most. It played a significant role in helping me get back to work and back to being myself.
‘I think it’s important for people to realise that when they have a diagnosis made, it’s not the end.
‘It might be the end of a life that they’ve known, but it can be an opportunity for a new one to begin.’
