In August 2019, Michelle Noakes experienced what was to be one of the happiest days of her life as she married Simon, the love of her life. Amid the typical excitement of a wedding day, Michelle felt an unusual tingling in her face and hands, which she initially dismissed as nerves. However, as her symptoms rapidly worsened after the wedding, a visit to her family doctor led to a devastating diagnosis: an aggressive, inoperable brain tumor.
Michelle, a PR professional from near Honiton in Devon, underwent private and NHS treatments but her condition quickly worsened. By early 2021, she had lost almost all of her speech, vision and mobility, and she sadly passed away in June of that year, shortly before her 40th birthday, she said. Sun.
Leaving behind her husband Simon and young children, Otto and Poppy, Michelle’s sudden decline from a vibrant life to her untimely death has deeply affected her family and community. Her sister, Sam Williams, remembers Michelle as a vibrant and loving person, saying: “She was the most charming, kind, thoughtful and fun person, loved by everyone who knew her.”
The journey toward her diagnosis began subtly, with tingling sensations dismissed as wedding day jitters. But as Michelle’s condition worsened, her family’s concern grew. Despite multiple visits to the GP and treatments, the growth and impact of the tumor only became more pronounced. Michelle’s battle highlighted the cruel and indiscriminate nature of brain cancer, particularly the type known as brainstem glioma, which is rare in adults and notoriously difficult to treat.
After multiple failed attempts at chemotherapy and heartbreaking progression despite treatment, Michelle’s family was forced to face the grim reality of her condition. In her final days, surrounded by her loved ones, Michelle expressed a poignant awareness of her destiny, focusing on her love for her children and her desire to stay with them.
The family’s ordeal has prompted them to raise more than £7,000 for brain tumor research in Michelle’s memory, aiming to raise awareness and funding for this under-researched disease. Her hope is that no other family has to endure such a painful experience due to the lack of effective treatments and early diagnosis options.
Louise Aubrey of Brain Tumor Research commented on the dire need for more targeted research funding: “Only 12 per cent of those diagnosed with a brain tumor survive more than five years compared to an average of 54 per cent across all cancers.” . This has to change.”
Through their grief, Michelle’s family honors her memory by advocating for more research and support for those affected by brain tumors, in hopes that advances in treatment will one day prevent such devastating losses.
