Brain tumour caused dancer to lose movement in leg

A former professional dancer who was left unable to move her leg for a month after a brain tumour diagnosis said it has "put everything in life into perspective".

Charlotte Searle, from Lymm in Cheshire, said she "cried pretty much constantly" after an MRI scan revealed the condition.

"There was one nurse who came in and comforted me and she said, right, you just need to pull your positive pants on.

"And that has stuck."

Ms Searle teaches dance exercise to students, who took inspiration from the nurse's words for her last class.

"Without me knowing, they had all gathered big knickers and put positive quotes on them," she said.

"I was greeted for this final class with them all having lots of sparkly and different kinds of knickers on."

After surgery, she experienced various seizures, which led to one of her legs not moving for five weeks.

But after treatment Ms Searle said she is now turning the corner.

"I'm definitely not back to normal but I'm walking," she said.

She has had 33 sessions of radiotherapy and is due to start chemotherapy in January.

The dancer now wants to improve awareness of the many different types of brain tumours and patients' experiences.

"It puts everything in life into perspective - your family, your friends," she said.

"Just every day, like going for a walk, breathing in the air and nature all around you and stuff like that.

"I think it's made me appreciate so much about life."

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