Committee Member

My name is Kimberley Carvill, I am originally from Holywood but now live in Dundonald with my husband Peter and our three daughters, Tess, Zoё and Nina.

From 2014 I had been experiencing severe headaches, lethargy, tiredness and depression. After an emergency admission to hospital in May 2015, subsequent tests revealed I had Type 1 Diabetes and a Meningioma. Initially it was suggested that a “watch and wait” approach would be best but during July 2015 I met with my Neurosurgeon, Dr Cooke who suggested surgery was my best option. After some deliberation I had surgery on 22nd of October 2015. 

Dr Cooke was able to remove all the tumour. Thankfully it was benign, and I required no further treatment. I still have yearly MRI’s and appointments with Dr Cooke who assures me that any regrowth now is unlikely.

I was incredibly fortunate with my recovery from surgery but unfortunately after both life changing physical impairments, I am now living a very different life from my previous as a full-time Nursery Assistant.

I came across Brainwaves NI on Facebook. I noticed they were looking for new committee members and my friend encouraged me to go along to the AGM.

I was made very welcome by Julie, Kate and Gordon and quickly realised what a great Charity Brainwaves NI is. I made the decision to put my name forward as a committee member and in doing so now hope to raise awareness of a charity that provides not only support to families and individuals, but also funds research at Queen’s University Belfast’s Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, whose work is proving vital in the seriously underfunded field of Brain Tumour research.