Brain Tumour Patient from Stroud writes book for grandchild

Grandmother-of-five, Jan Burrell of Stroud, knew something was wrong when, in 2019, she became forgetful.

In February 2021 a seizure caused her to experience problems with her speech.

Although initially thought to have suffered a stroke, a scan at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital revealed Jan had a meningioma.

Fearful that her 11-month-old grandson, Finn, would grow up without the life-lessons from his granny, the 62-year-old wrote Finn’s Wonderful World in one night whilst waiting for brain surgery.

The book, which Jan also illustrated, tells of her favourite things that she wanted Finn to know if she wasn’t around, including nature and friendship.

Jan was given medication to help reduce swelling and the build-up of pressure on her brain.

She said: “One night I couldn’t sleep and took hold of a pen and I wrote the book for Finn.

"I was slow as I wrote each letter and it took me a long time but I never crossed anything out, the story just flowed from my head to paper.

"It was my way of passing a message directly to Finn, encouraging him to explore and appreciate the natural world around him.”

In May 2021, she had surgery to remove most of the fist-sized tumour.

She said: “Finn is two now. Being the age he is, it’s difficult to get him to sit down for a long amount of time but he loves ‘Finn’s Wonderful World’.

“While I was waiting for my operation, it dawned on me that if I had a limited recovery, I may not be able to draw and paint again.

"This was upsetting to acknowledge as both things are a huge part of who I am. I am now on the sight impaired register, due to quadrantanopia, which means I have lost part of my vision in both eyes because of the surgery.

"But I am so lucky to still be able to do such things and I’m happy to be alive.”

She is now monitored annually and is awaiting the results of her latest scan.