'I passed out at home with my 3 kids - then doctors gave me 18 months to live'

Georgie Maynard faced every parent's nightmare when she fainted in the presence of her three youngsters, ages 15, 13, and nine. The brave mum, 47, from Appleton, Oxfordshire, experienced a terrifying blackout lasting about 20 minutes before her quick-thinking children dialled for emergency services.

Following the scary turn of events, doctors at the hospital conducted an MRI scan which uncovered a glioblastoma - an aggressive type of brain tumour. Georgie had to undergo a crucial surgery known as a craniotomy to remove part of the mass. Showing immense strength, Georgie embarked on six gruelling weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments, followed by another six months of chemotherapy. Now she's playing the "waiting game" enduring regular three-monthly scans to keep tabs on her condition. It is the same form of tumour that sadly killed The Wanted star Tom Parker.

Market research leader Georgie spoke out about her ordeal, saying: "It is completely unknown to me why I got diagnosed with a brain tumour." She went on to reflect on the randomness of her health crisis, noting that there's no telling why such diseases occur: "There is nothing in my life that says you're susceptible to x,y or z - but we don't know why the brain is targeted or how we get it."

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Despite the grim prognosis that originally gave her only 18 months, Georgie remains positive, cherishing her life experiences to date: "In my 20s I lost someone I loved and it makes you look at life differently."

And rather than dwell on the daunting statistic, she prefers to count her blessings, stating, "I look at that and think 'b****y hell, I am lucky enough to have double the life they got'."

Georgie chooses to see her situation through a lens of gratefulness, concluding, "I would rather look at it like how lucky am I to have got 47 years."

The harrowing event unfolded in May 2023 when Georgie started to feel the ominous onset of a migraine. She settled onto her sofa, hoping for relief, but instead was consumed by darkness as the blackout struck. Georgie shared her harrowing experience: "I had a headache so I thought I would sit in the garden and have a few minutes in the garden but that made me feel even worse."

She continued, "I came back inside and sat on the sofa - that is when my head exploded and I blacked out."

Recounting the terrifying moments, she added, "Twenty minutes later, I regained my consciousness to slowly discover my room no longer just had my three children in it but the ambulance crew, my brother Charlie Maynard, and his wife."

Expressing her gratitude, Georgie said, "Wow, I was incredibly lucky to have such a speedy response."

After being blue-lighted to John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, an MRI scan revealed Georgie had a glioblastoma, a rapidly growing brain tumour. Following this, she underwent a craniotomy, where she explained, "The procedure was so that they could remove as much of the tumour as possible."

During the surgery, she was awake: "I was awake during the procedure, they were asking me questions which allowed them to work out how much of the tumour they can take out."

Her treatment didn't stop there, as Georgie detailed: "I then had six weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, a month off and then I had six months of chemotherapy."

Now, with regular scans every three months, she's been given a glimmer of hope. The latest updates in April and July showed no growth in her tumour. Reflecting on her current situation, Georgie expressed, "I'm very grateful my scans are stable. But what do I do now? I just wait. Wait for it to decide to grow back."

Determined to make a difference after learning about the lack of investment and research into brain tumours, Georgie took action. She established a Supporter Group with The Brain Tumour Charity, named Maynards, to fund research into high-grade tumours.

With the support of her family and friends, she has impressively raised over £25,000.