AN inspirational Stourbridge mum, who has worked tirelessly to raise funds for charity while battling a brain tumour, has been selected to take part in the Queen’s Baton Relay ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
Katie Smith, aged 37, was diagnosed with a grade 2 oligoastrocytoma aged 30 in 2015.
She underwent surgery but was told the tumour would regrow and become cancerous - with a one in three chance this would happen within five years.
Katie, a former special needs teacher and head of English at Wyre Forest in Kidderminster, had only just returned from her honeymoon when she began suffering with persistent, agonising headaches.
Despite the risk pregnancy hormones might stimulate the tumour to grow, Katie and husband Luke decided to have a baby and were overjoyed when Eli was born in 2017.
Two years later, Katie discovered the tumour had returned and, despite undergoing a second surgery and radiotherapy, she was told it was incurable.
Despite her health struggle, together with husband Luke, Katie set up Brainstorm, a fundraising group which has raised almost £46,000 for Brain Tumour Research – enough to sponsor 16 days of research - as historically just one per cent of the national cancer research spend has been allocated to brain tumours.
In recognition of her efforts to raise vital funds for research to help find a cure for brain tumours which kill more children and adults under 40 than any other cancer, Katie was nominated as a baton-bearer by the Brain Tumour Research charity.
She said: “I was beyond proud when I found out and really honoured to be selected to take part. It’s such a privilege and a once in a life-time experience.
“The route I will be taking beside Mary Stevens Park is so fitting as Mary, the wife of Ernest – a well-known local philanthropist – was my great, great, great aunt. It’s also a place we go to often with Eli.”
Her miracle son Eli is now five and finishing his first year at school and Katie said: “I remember how awful it was to hear the tumour had returned when Eli was so young, but fortunately my scans have been stable ever since finishing treatment.
“Recently I went to his first school sports day – a milestone I never expected to see as I was told I only had a 50/50 chance of reaching my 40th birthday.”
Less than 12 per cent of people diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50 per cent across all cancers.
Life has changed dramatically for Katie since her devastating diagnosis which has left her unable to work but she said: “I am luckier than many other brain tumour patients and feel blessed to still be alive.”
She will carry the baton 200 metres from Park House, Stanley Road, Stourbridge, around the edge of the park into Norton Road, setting off at 2.53pm on Sunday July 24.
Katie is one of around 2,000 people with inspirational stories given the honour of carrying the baton during its 25-day, 2,500-mile journey through England, ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony on July 28.
Mel Tiley, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “Katie is such a worthy recipient of the honour of carrying the Queen’s baton."
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