A Teesside mother has highlighted her daughter’s remarkable fundraising efforts while she continues to battle an incurable form of cancer.
Nicola Hewitson praised her daughter, Abbi Hewitson, along with friends and family, for raising more than £8,000 for the neurosurgery department at The James Cook University Hospital.
Abbi, from Hartlepool, was diagnosed in 2019 at the age of 24 with a low-grade glioma, a type of brain tumour, following her first seizure. Consultant neurosurgeon Mr Anil Varma carried out a critical 11-hour operation that same year.
Since then, Abbi has faced daily seizures, multiple surgeries, ongoing scans, and frequent hospital appointments. During this time, she developed a close bond with Mr Varma, whom she affectionately refers to as her “very own ‘angel’”. Nicola commented: “She has a lot of love and respect for Mr Varma and thinks the absolute world of him.”
When further surgery was ruled out due to tumour growth, Abbi began chemotherapy. Initial reports suggested her treatment was stabilising the tumour, but later scans revealed it had become a cancerous type without a cure.
Despite her condition, Abbi chose to give back to the hospital that supported her. She launched her first fundraising sparkle party during the COVID-19 pandemic, later organising a virtual lemonade stand, sponsored swims, and participating in the Great North Run. Over several years, her efforts, supported by family and friends, have raised over £8,000.
Mr Varma said: “I met Abbi in January 2019 when the brain scan picked up the tumour. She came across as a very determined young lady who maintained a positive attitude throughout her entire journey. Her determination shines through the fundraising activities that she has done for the department. I still have her framed T-shirt on my office wall from the 12-hour walk she did to raise funds in 2021. She is a shining personality that I will always remember as a ‘starry angel patient’ I came across in my career as an oncology neurosurgeon.”
Nicola described her daughter as “the most selfless, generous lady with the biggest heart” and praised her resilience: “Abbi has battled her condition like an absolute warrior for six and a half years, which still goes on today, making us all laugh with her wicked and sensational personality.”
Mr Varma added that Abbi’s fundraising will help further develop surgical services at James Cook, including acquiring a cortical stimulator for awake tumour surgery and other specialist procedures. Lisa Meehan, manager of Our Hospitals Charity, said: “We are so grateful to Abbi for the amazing fundraising she and her family have done, her kindness really will make a difference to other patients under the care of Mr Varma.”
