A mum has shared her heart-wrenching story after she lost four family members to aggressive brain tumours within a span of 16 years.
Claire Cordiner has endured the loss of her mother, younger sister, nephew and cousin to the deadly disease.
The residential care officer hopes that by shedding light on her family’s tragic experiences, she can raise awareness about brain tumours, which claim more lives under the age of 40 than any other cancer. Claire’s mother, Margaret O’Kane, of Wishaw, Scotland, succumbed to a brain tumour at the age of 67 in 2008.
This was followed by the death of her sister Angie Jones, 36, from East Kilbride, in 2009; Angie’s son Max, 19, also fell victim to a brain tumour in 2023, and her cousin David McCulloch, 56, was the most recent casualty last year.
“My mum’s speech started to go a bit and the GP initially thought it had been a mini stroke and they said they would keep an eye on it,” Claire, of Gilmerton in Edinburgh, told Edinburgh Live. “But within a matter of weeks she became incoherent and my dad took her to hospital.
“Her eyesight wasn’t great either and she thought it was old age. She never suffered from any headaches. Thankfully she was offered a scan right away where they discovered two tumours, one at the front of her brain and the other at the base.
“She was offered radiotherapy but at a reduced dose due to her age and later underwent surgery to remove as much as they could from the front tumour but they could not touch the base.
“Doctors told her she had less than a year, which was devastating but she just accepted it. She was that kind of person.”
Margaret stayed at home, only going into hospice a few times to give her husband, Brian, some respite. It was her wish to be at home where sadly, she passed away in October 2008.
“My mum had 12 children and she adored kids, family was her life,” Claire reminisced. “She was kind, funny and caring. Christmas and special occasions were everything to her, she would cook for 25 plus and was in her element when feeding everyone. “
Claire fondly remembered her mother’s love for feeding her large family, sometimes in three sittings due to their number.
However, more sorrow was on the horizon for Claire and her family. Her younger sister, Angie, started suffering from headaches and twitching in her arms and legs while pregnant. It wasn’t until her son Max was six months old that Angie was officially diagnosed with a brain tumour.
“My sister opted not to go through treatment as she wanted to have another child,” Claire revealed. “But she later underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She managed to live with the cancer for five years.
“She was fine for a few years during that period but she developed more symptoms due to the tumour growing. Doctors tried to continue chemo but she developed pneumonia and they said there was nothing they could do for her.”
Angie passed away in December 2009, but Claire insists her illness never defined her, often sharing humorous updates with the family about her ‘heid.’
Claire painted a picture of Angie as the life and soul of any gathering, with a love for dancing.
“Dancing queen was her funeral song,” Claire shared. “She was funny, beautiful and had lots of friends, not to mention she doted on Max. She was so outgoing and loved life, she really coped well with her diagnosis and took it in her stride.”
Claire expressed her sorrow over the fact that Angie wouldn’t get to see Max grow up, and that Max would miss out on having his mum around.
“We just spent what time we could with Max, who was five when his mother passed, and his family,” she said.
Tragically, the family’s heartache was set to deepen, as Angie’s son Max started experiencing severe headaches and leg pains as he neared his 18th birthday. In 2022, he sought medical help and was immediately diagnosed with a brain tumour.
“I think he knew what it was going to be,” Claire revealed. “It was a week or two before his 18th birthday that he was diagnosed. He had treatment and some surgery to try to remove the tumour, it was really intense.
“That worked for a bit from October until around New Year when the pain started to return. He went back into hospital and by this point it had regrown and another tumour was found on his spine.
“Towards the end he opted to go into Kilbride hospice who were absolutely fantastic with him. He had a great bunch of mates who would come and see him everyday, they were an incredible support for him.
“He was football daft and had some Celtic players also pop in to see him.”
Claire’s “mischievous, kind and funny” nephew tragically passed away in July 2023, just a week after his 19th birthday. His father Kevin had lost both his partner and his son to brain tumours.
“It was devastating for Kevin to lose them both,” Claire said. “But like his mum, Max accepted it. He was a really strong person. His friends continue to raise money for the hospice who were amazing, hosting rave nights and football tournaments. The hospice was outstanding for the care they gave him and his family.”
In a heartbreaking twist, Claire and her family suffered another loss when her cousin David McCulloch, 56, from her maternal side, also fell victim to a brain tumour illness in 2024.
“David started having twitching episodes in his right hand lasting only a few seconds which he thought was stress related,” Claire said. “After returning from a family holiday to Florida in July 2018 we were only home a few days when he had a big seizure.
“After multiple tests he was told he had a stroke and stayed in hospital for a week until discharged. He felt fine and returned to work as normal but the twitching continued, something he now put down to the stroke.
“Fast forward six months and David was at work when the doctor called him to apologise to say his notes had been lost and he had not in fact suffered a stroke but he had a brain tumour.
“Within a week another MRI confirmed David had an inoperable Astrocytoma BT. After initial failures David was able to have a biopsy performed on his tumour but this left him with a weakness down his right prominent side.”
David’s next steps were to undergo radiotherapy and chemotherapy but Covid struck and it was cancelled. He took unwell again in 2022 and attended A&E where an MRI confirmed he had a swelling of the brain. In December he opted for radiotherapy but by July 2023 his health deteriorated to such an extent he suffered a fall down the stairs which left him unable to communicate and move freely.
David was looked after primarily by his wife Yvonne and two sons Daniel, 31, and Aidan, 29, when at home but they also received support from healthcare professionals. He also spent time in St Andrews Hospice.
“David’s health continued to deteriorate and he was unable to swallow food or his medication,” Claire added. “At this stage it was agreed that David should be admitted to St Andrews Hospice. He sadly passed away in February 2024 after a long battle with this horrible disease. We drifted as we got older as most cousins do but he was a real family man who devoted himself to his boys.
“He loved going away for the weekend together with the family whenever he could. David also loved his music and going to scooter rallies,” Claire shared.
The fear of brain tumours looms over her family, but without further research, they can’t determine if the condition is hereditary. Since 2016, Claire has been actively fundraising for Brain Tumour Research, describing it as a way to cope with her grief. On Tuesday, January 28, she attended the inauguration of Scotland’s first-ever Brain Tumour Research centre.
“Every time you have a headache you think, is this the start?” Claire said. “I worry about my kids, my siblings and my nephews and nieces. Brain tumours have absolutely devastated our family.”
Commenting on the opening of the Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence, she said: “Today has been a long time coming, it’s so significant. Ground-breaking research, which will help thousands of people in Scotland, is being done on our doorstep.”
She added: “I’m so excited and I really look forward to hearing about discoveries which will lead to new treatments and, hopefully, a cure.”
Find out more about the new centre and Brain Tumour Research