Lisa's Story

My name is Lisa Connell. I am 28 years old, from North London. I have recently been diagnosed with a Brain Tumour.

I was first diagnosed in August 2006 after suffering with my balance and vision. I was sent by my optician to Moorfield's Eye Hospital where I was given an MRI scan a few weeks later.

My MRI Scan showed that I had a Benign Meningioma growing in the centre of my brain.

Following my diagnosis I then had several more opinions from top surgeons all around the country. All of which came up with the same conclusion.

During the months of February to December 2006, I gradually deteriorated. My walking became impaired. I was unable to move from my home without supervision. I was experiencing double vision and decreased depth perception which resulted in frequent falls and injuries. I also suffered with server head aches due to the pressure being generated on my brain. My level of energy was somewhat low giving symptoms of fatigue. My memory also suffered.

I was told that I may never walk properly again, or recover. The National Health's advice to me was to relax, take it easy and to avoid stress!

In October 2006 I was introduced to a friend of my father Mr Tony Blake. Tony changed my life for the better. It was Tony who made me analyse my circumstances and actually get up and do something about it.

Tony was diagnosed 10 years prior with having a Benign Meningioma and also suffered from the same symptoms. Tony, like me is a very strong and determined character and through exercise and healthy eating he managed the symptoms of his brain tumour and is leading a normal life.

Tony's advice to me was not to sit back and to let the tumour take over me as the National Health advised. In fact it was to do the total opposite, eat well and get fit. Seeing Tony that day lifted my spirit greatly. He appeared to live a normal life even though he still lives with a Brain Tumour.

With this advice my father gave me membership to David Lloyd. I went five times a week working very closely with one of the fitness instructors, Andreas Kyriakou. He offered his own time to me to get me on the path to recovery. We worked together on balance exercises along with co-ordination skills and muscle strengthening. Within one month I was back on my feet again!

Having spent all this time in my gym I started training for a 10k run. In July 2007 I ran in the Great British 10k London Run and passed the finish line in 1 hour 15 minutes raising just over £3,000.00 for the charity. Considering I was told I would never walk properly again this had to be one of my biggest achievements, that was down to two men. Tony Blake & Andreas Kyriakou. I can not thank either of you enough, so thank you!

Since the race I have been making it my personal goal to create awareness of Brain Tumours within the UK. I have been working very closely with the charity Brain Tumour UK in helping to raise both awareness and funds for the cause and I will continue to do so for as long as I shall live.

That is where Rent a Date for Charity came in. I had an idea which stemmed from my Myspace Account. I put myself and my cousin Luke on the site and offered people a chance to win a date with us. The rules stated that the person who donated the most amount of money onto the Justgiving Website within that week won the date.

The idea soon became common knowledge with a little push from my end. Hence the launch of my new site.

The aim is to have as many candidates registered bringing as much traffic to the site as possible and spreading the word of Brain Tumours around the world.

To help with raising awareness I am hoping to have one or two celebrities up for auction each week.

Proceeds from the auctions will then be transferred to the Justgiving Website. I have chosen to use the justgiving site as a holder of these funds to show everyone bidding that the money raised is actually going where I say it is. We will however, retain a small percentage of these funds for administration and maintenance costs involved with the website.

Lisa Connell

Comments

[alex]

Hello Lisa, and congratulations on your marathon success! You have achieved in a short period of time something more valuable than what some people achieve over many decades! That is commendable. Do you know Paracelsus Clink, Lustmuhle, Switzerland? [website : www.paracelsus.ch] This centre uses Integrated Medicine ; doctors are qualified in "orthodox" and in "alternative" medicine / health and aim to combine and apply the best practises of each, offering diagnosis / therapies / treatments and lifestyle programs (inc diet)as part of a holistic approach to improving health as well as slowing or regressing illnesses. I was not a patient myself but I know from different sources that this place has a very high reputation internationally. As a guest of a patient, some patients I met there with "terminal illness" told me of improvement in their condition. Some were American who were there because orthodox methods did not succeed for them and in the US such clinics did not exist due to laws there which did not recognise benefits of alternative approaches to treating illnesses(maybe things have changed a bit since then, 3 years ago) I have been advised of the high standing and advanced approach of this clinic by individuals outside of the clinic. It would seem that results can go beyond health promotion and disease prevention with which complementary therapy in the UK is associated. Doctors at the clinic itself seemingly advise that for the best success rate clients / patients visit the clinis before they start chemotherapy. However, I was also told it is used by certain government(s) as a last resort when their orthodox approach does not succeed. As I have not been a client / patient myself, I can neither recommend it nor advise against but I am relaying to you information which was passed to me from different sources. Hope this might be of some help. All the best

[alex]

Lisa, congratulations on your marathon success! Do you know Paracelsus Clink, Lustmuhle, Switzerland? [website : www.paracelsus.ch] This centre uses Integrated Medicine ; doctors are qualified in "orthodox" and in "alternative" medicine / health and aim to combine and apply the best practises of each, offering diagnosis / therapies / treatments and lifestyle programs (inc diet)as part of a holistic approach to improving health as well as slowing or regressing illnesses. I was not a patient myself but I know from different sources that this place has a very high reputation internationally. As a guest of a patient, some patients I met there with "terminal illness" told me of improvement in their condition. Some were American who were there because orthodox methods did not succeed for them and in the US such clinics did not exist due to laws there which did not recognise benefits of alternative approaches to treating illnesses(maybe things have changed a bit since then, 3 years ago) I have advised of the high standing and advanced approach of this clinic by individuals outside of the clinic. It would seem that results can go beyond health promotion and disease with which complementary therapy in the UK is associated. Doctors at the clinic itself seemingly advise that for the best success rate clients / patients visit the clinis before they start chemotherapy. However, I was also told it is used by certain government(s) as a last resort when their orthodox approach does not succeed. As I have not been a client / patient myself, I can neither recommend it nor advise against but I am relaying to you information which was passed to me from different sources. Hope this might be of some help.