Natalie Fry’s family faced unimaginable fear and uncertainty after a holiday accident turned into a life-altering diagnosis. While celebrating her 50th birthday in Jamaica, Natalie suffered a fall that initially seemed minor but soon revealed a far more serious issue—a brain tumour that would change her life forever.
Her daughter, Chloe Bavin, 33, stayed by her mother’s hospital bedside throughout the ordeal, fearing she might never wake. “Sitting there watching mum in a coma was the most frightening experience of my life,” Chloe said from their home in Weston-super-Mare. “She was on a ventilator, surrounded by machines, and doctors told us there was a strong chance she wouldn’t survive. I was in denial—my mum is one of the strongest people I know. Seeing her so vulnerable was heartbreaking.”
Natalie, a 999 emergency call handler, first injured her knee during the fall in June 2023. Following her return to the UK and further medical tests, an MRI scan revealed a large mass on her brain—a schwannoma tumour that required urgent surgery to save her life.
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“The news came as a complete shock,” Chloe recalled. “Mum went to the appointment with Dad, but she was too stunned to call me. When I heard the word ‘brain tumour,’ everything changed. The doctors said surgery was her only chance.”
The surgery, a nine-hour operation performed in July 2025, was risky, with potential complications including loss of hearing, sight, mobility, or even death. Although the majority of the tumour was successfully removed, part of it remained due to its proximity to a critical nerve. Shortly after the operation, Natalie suffered a brain bleed, resulting in a three-week coma and further complications.
Gradually, with ventilator support reduced and a shunt inserted to drain excess fluid, Natalie began to show tiny signs of movement. Over six months, she fought hard to relearn how to speak and walk, determined to reclaim her life.
Now, more than a year later, Natalie has returned to work despite ongoing challenges. She lives with partial paralysis on her left side, including facial paralysis, hearing loss, limited vision, and numbness. A follow-up MRI in December 2024 detected another small growth, which was treated with radiotherapy, though its long-term effectiveness remains under observation.
In a bid to support research and raise awareness, Chloe will run the TCS London Marathon this April, donating all proceeds to Brain Tumour Research.
“We didn’t understand the full impact of a brain tumour until we saw mum go from being so vibrant to completely dependent on others,” Chloe said. “She couldn’t speak, breathe properly, or sit up on her own. Our lives will never be the same, but running the marathon is my way of bringing hope—to show families they’re not alone and to fund vital research so others might avoid what we went through.”
Carol Robertson, National Events Manager at Brain Tumour Research, praised Chloe’s dedication: “Chloe’s marathon effort is inspiring. Each step brings us closer to a cure for all brain tumours. Stories like theirs underline the urgent need for more awareness and research funding to improve outcomes for patients and families. We wish Chloe the best and will be cheering her on every mile.”