In August 2021, 23-year-old Jesse woke up feeling disoriented, with a strange sense of déjà vu. As these episodes became more frequent, her concern grew, leading to a GP visit and a diagnosis of seizures, and an MRI that revealed a lesion on her brain.
I was told people my age didn't get this type of cancer. Then I was told I had around 18 months to live.
It was only after phoning a number that she had been given to call that Jesse's worst fears were confirmed. Nobody answered the call, and the voicemail said "welcome to the brain tumour unit".
Jesse was initially assured that the tumour was benign and that she would be able to live a healthy life. But five weeks later, after experiencing another seizure, everything changed again.
Despite earlier reassurances that the tumour wouldn't grow and that people her age didn't get this type of cancer, a follow-up scan revealed that it had already quadrupled in size, and she was diagnosed with the most aggressive, incurable type of brain cancer - grade four glioblastoma.
Aged just 24, Jesse was told that she had around 18 months to live.
Since that first MRI, Jesse has had to endure gruelling treatment, including a 9-hour surgery, six weeks of radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy, and six more cycles of maintenance chemotherapy.
Remarkably, Jesse has since been told that she has 'no evidence of the disease', which is the closest she will ever be to being cured.
Jesse has returned to work and has gone back to living her life to the fullest - she and her partner Faith recently got married and bought a flat, where they are living happily together.
And her extraordinary journey from diagnosis to recovery introduced her to Worldwide Cancer Research scientist Dr Jamie Dean, a pioneering researcher currently leading a project focusing on glioblastoma and making radiotherapy more effective as a cancer treatment. Dr Dean recently invited Jesse to see this ground-breaking work for herself at his lab at University College London, saying:
"From a researcher's perspective, it is so important that we speak to people who have lived this, to learn more and bring that knowledge to our research. Jesse is a truly remarkable person, and an inspiration."
Research like Jamie’s gives us a reason to be optimistic, the opportunity for breakthroughs that will benefit many more people with this disease. It’s comforting to know people care - that people, some who you’ll never meet, care about helping and improving treatments.
A thank you message from Dr Jamie Dean:
"I would like to thank everyone who supports Worldwide Cancer Research. Your support gives people hope for the future, makes research like ours possible, and will help change more lives."
