Kim Borthwick, 36, has joined the Brain Cancer Justice campaign group, saying she wants to make a difference for those who come after her.
A Scottish mother diagnosed with incurable brain cancer has said she is treasuring every moment with her young sons because she does not know if she will live long enough to see them start school.
Kim Borthwick, 35, from Glasgow, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour on January 18, just a week after she began experiencing symptoms.
It came after a busy festive period with her husband Ross and four-year-old twins Max and Freddie, and when she developed a headache she initially thought she had just overdone it.
“I remember saying, ‘I need to lie down’. The headache was unbearable,” she recalled.
“Then my hand started tingling and I lost feeling down one side. I was being sick.
“I just knew something wasn’t right, but I’d never experienced migraines before so I put it down to that and thought it had been triggered by overdoing it during the festivities.”
Following several visits to her GP, Ms Borthwick, who grew up on Glasgow’s south side, was referred to A&E for an urgent CT scan.
Soon afterwards she was diagnosed with a glioblastoma – a type of highly aggressive brain tumour – and told she might need surgery that evening.
She has credited NHS staff with saving her life, saying their swift action has given her more time with her sons.
However, she is realistic about her prospects, given that if she makes it to her 40th birthday she will be among the longest-surviving 10% of people diagnosed with her type of cancer.
She said the knowledge has led to her treasuring every moment with her sons.
“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.”
She added: “I know I would have made a bloody good granny.”
Ms Borthwick 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 not changed for decades.
She said this felt like an “injustice” given survival rates for many other cancers have improved “dramatically” over the same period.
She has joined the Brain Cancer Justice (BCJ) campaign group, which is urging politicians to provide greater support and funding for rare cancers.
The group is also calling for a dedicated minister for rare cancers to ensure continuity in research, funding and policy.
She explained: “I have a fire in my belly to effect change for people diagnosed with brain cancer in Scotland.
“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.”
She pointed to the fact patients in other G8 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 is not routinely available in Scotland, leaving many families having to navigate treatment options, clinical trials and additional support on their own.
Ms Borthwick also pointed out 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.”
Kim is sharing 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.”
Health Secretary Angela Constance 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.”
To learn more about BCJ and its campaign to make brain cancer treatable rather than terminal, visit braincancerjustice.org
