A crowdfunding campaign has been launched for an Exmouth woman who has a brain tumour that cannot be treated with radiation and chemotherapy.

Charlie Gilmour, 38, collapsed in a full seizure in February this year, and was found to have a tumour on her brain. She had open brain surgery, but not all of the tumour could be removed. A few weeks later she was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer, a Glioblastoma tumour growing on the communion site of the brain. This cannot be removed without making her completely disabled.

Radiation and chemotherapy have little to no effect on a Glioblastoma, so instead, Charlie has adopted an extremely healthy diet and lifestyle regime, along with alternative treatments, to help her body resist the cancer and give her the best possible quality of life. This includes fresh fruit and vegetable juices, yoga, meditation, lymphatic massages and chiropractic support, as well as trying out new treatments and therapies that could help her and other future patients. Three months after starting the regime, she said it has become ‘a way of life’ and is ‘most definitely agreeing with me’.

Charlie, who has two daughters, has always supported charities and good causes. She had been a barber for 20 years and always gave free haircuts to homeless people, as well as doing head shaves for people raising money for Cancer Research. Now it’s her turn to receive help, after her friends and relatives set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for her. None of her alternative treatments are available on the NHS, so they want to make sure she can afford to continue with them, keeping her as comfortable as possible.

An update on the page this week said Charlie has been ‘blown away’ by the support and donations she has received so far. A 'Charlie's Army Facebook page has been set up to keep her friends and supporters up to date. Charlie is planning a firewalk with her daughter Mahli in August, and updates on this will also be posted.

To learn more about Charlie’s story and donate to her crowdfunder, visit her page on GoFundMe. For updates, photos and other information, follow Charlie's Army on Facebook.