Overview

• April Tate, 52, experienced memory lapses in 2018 that she initially attributed to menopause before a scan at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy diagnosed an inoperable posterior falcine meningioma.
• The tumour’s deep location made surgical removal too risky, prompting doctors to monitor its slow growth with scans every six months under a watch-and-wait protocol.
• When the mass exceeded 30mm in late 2022, she qualified for stereotactic radiotherapy which by mid-2025 has significantly reduced the tumour and shifted her care to annual imaging.
• Tate has since returned to work as a childminder and even completed her first 5k run earlier this year, crediting treatment and monitoring for restoring her daily life.
• To address chronic underfunding of brain tumour research, she is performing 88 squats a day throughout July aiming to raise £2,740 for the Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence in partnership with Beatson Cancer Charity.