**University Student Advocates for Early Detection After Brain Tumour Diagnosis**
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A 25-year-old woman is navigating a challenging battle against a brain tumour, which was uncovered following a serious fall at her university. Alice Chawner, an ambitious student at the University of Manchester, initially thought she had only suffered a concussion when she slipped and fell down a flight of 15 concrete steps while attending a party.
Chawner recounted the incident, stating, “I got really drunk and I slipped and fell down the stairs. There’s a big question mark as to whether I had a seizure at that point and that’s what made me blackout.” It was only after a medical student advised her to seek professional help that Chawner visited the hospital, where she was met with unexpected and shocking news stemming from an MRI scan.
The results revealed a low-grade glioma, which is a form of brain tumour that had been quietly developing prior to her fall. Chawner reflected on the overwhelming nature of the diagnosis, revealing, “This was all a bit of a shock. I didn’t even register it. I went into survival mode and thought, ‘Let’s do this.’ It was daunting to process.”
Since her diagnosis in 2020, Chawner has undergone a total of five surgeries to address the tumour, manage accompanying infections, and complete her education. Despite her resilience, Chawner noted that apart from a few seizures, she had not experienced any significant symptoms prior to her diagnosis. “I genuinely believe if I hadn’t found it in 2020, by now I probably would’ve had symptoms, but it would’ve been a lot longer down the road,” she explained.
However, the situation took a turn for the worse in June 2025, when her tumour escalated to grade four, accompanied by the emergence of a new tumour in a different section of her brain. This revelation proved to be immensely distressing for Chawner. “It was really devastating news. It was the worst news I’ve ever had,” she shared, recalling the moment she broke down in the clinic after receiving the prognosis.
In preparation for her future, Chawner had previously undergone an egg retrieval procedure, a decision she had hoped would provide her the chance to start a family one day. In light of her recent health developments, she expressed a feeling of futility regarding the treatment. “I didn’t have to really go through the egg removal because it was like, ‘Great, I’m not even going to get to the point where I’m going to have children, so why have I put myself through that?’” she lamented.
To date, Chawner has conducted ten cycles of emergency radiotherapy; however, she has exhausted conventional treatment options available in the UK. Consequently, her family is now considering immunotherapy trials in Germany, hoping for a breakthrough before it is too late. “I think we should be advocating for more checks, and I think we need to be doing more regular scans for our brains,” she asserted. “There are so many people who find [a brain tumour] when it’s grade four and it’s too late.”
Chawner’s experience has altered her perspective on medical awareness and the importance of early detection. “I want to encourage people that, as terrifying as it may seem, it’s so important to look at these issues early. It’s something I really wish I had looked into this time last year; I may have had a bigger choice,” she added with a sense of urgency.
Her harrowing journey not only highlights the unpredictability of health crises but also serves as a rallying cry for increased awareness and proactive measures in diagnosing brain tumours. As she continues to fight for her life and advocate for others, Chawner’s story underscores the critical need for better early diagnosis protocols in the face of such formidable health challenges.