Former Miss Teen Lincoln joins charity after beating brain tumour
Former Miss Teen Lincoln Eva MacDonald has shared her harrowing brain tumour story after being selected as a young ambassador for The Brain Tumour Charity. At the age of five, Eva’s teacher at Mount Street Primary School in Lincoln (now Mount Street Academy) noticed that her handwriting had deteriorated over the summer holidays and she…
After battling her illness, Eva wants to raise awareness of brain tumours.
Former Miss Teen Lincoln Eva MacDonald has shared her harrowing brain tumour story after being selected as a young ambassador for The Brain Tumour Charity.
At the age of five, Eva’s teacher at Mount Street Primary School in Lincoln (now Mount Street Academy) noticed that her handwriting had deteriorated over the summer holidays and she was referred for hospital scans, revealing she had a brain tumour.
Despite several visits to the GP over 18 months suffering from headaches, nausea, stiff neck and loss of balance, it was thanks to her eagle eyed primary school teacher that Eva finally received the diagnosis.
Eva, now 20, has been selected along with 21 other people all over the country as Young Ambassadors for The Brain Tumour Charity to help raise awareness and defeat brain tumours – the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40 in the UK.
She said: “In 25 years, the head of the GP practice we went to had never seen a patient with a brain tumour before, which meant they were unfamiliar with the symptoms.
“It was a huge shock for my mum, but I was too young to really understand or take it in.”
She had an operation in September 2001 at The Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, to relieve pressure in her brain and, a week later, surgery to remove the tumour.
“Luckily, it was possible to remove the whole tumour,” said Eva, who lives in Lincoln with mum Kirsty, brother Mark, 19, and sister, Isabella, 15.
Biopsy results revealed it was grade 1 (non-cancerous) astrocytoma. Eva had to retake a school year due to the time out for treatment.
“Back at school, I struggled with confidence because of everything I’d been through and I felt isolated because no one else understood what it was like to have a brain tumour,” continued Eva.
After finishing her GCSEs at William Farr School in Welton, she took part in the National Citizen Service (NCS), which boosted her confidence.
“I learned skills such as leadership, teamwork and communication,” said Eva, who now works for the NCS in Lincoln as a mentor.
She also trains as a classical singer and sings at private and public events.
At 19, Eva became Miss Teen Lincoln 2015 and a finalist in Miss Teen Great Britain.
She used her title to find out more about work being done to help people with brain tumours.
“While holding the Miss Teen Lincoln title, I visited a hospice and heard about a child who had been a patient there, terminally ill with a brain tumour.
“That, coupled with my own experience, made me even more determined to help.
“Now I want to use my story to raise awareness about brain tumours and their huge impact on the individual and their families.
“I know that having a brain tumour is truly devastating and living with the consequences can be a struggle.”
Eva is planning fundraising events and has already carried out her first charity photoshoot which took place on Sunday, June 11 and raised over £200.
Now a charity concert is in the pipeline.
Emma Wood, teenage and young adult worker for The Brain Tumour Charity, said:
“We are thrilled to have Eva as one of our new ambassadors and she’s an inspiration for other young people and children living with brain tumours.
“She’s been through the devastating impact of being diagnosed with a brain tumour and how it affects the whole family.
“Now Eva can use that in a positive way to help us raise awareness and support others going through a similar experience.”
Spotted an error? Please notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
Two lorries have crashed on the A15, with one driver hospitalised as one of the vehicles flipped onto its roof.
The two HGVs, a blue skip loader and a yellow and red heavy tractor artic lorry, collided on the A15 near Waddingham at 11.26am on Tuesday.
The blue skip loader ended up being overturned and is currently blocking the road at both sides.
The driver of the skip loader has been taken to hospital to be assessed, while it is unclear if the other driver has sustained any injuries.
Emergency service crews are in attendance, including Fire & Rescue, ambulance and police services.
The A15 is likely to be closed for most of the day, allowing for emergency teams to deal with the incident, and motorists are being asked to find alternative routes.
There is slow-moving traffic on the B1398, one of the diversion routes used to avoid the scene of the crash.
The owner of a wildlife sanctuary near Lincoln has issued a warning to people to check bonfires before lighting them, after a hedgehog was left covered in burns and fighting for her life.
The hedgehog, who has since been named Phantom due to it looking like she has a mask, was taken to Wildline Wildlife Sanctuary in Saxilby. She was found walking around in circles in a family’s garden in Nettleham and the sanctuary’s owner Julie Smith told them to bring the hedgehog to her.
The hedgehog, who is less than eight weeks old, arrived at the sanctuary covered in fly eggs and with burns to her skirt, her little legs, paws and face. She is still fighting hard for her life.
This little hedgehog arrived at the sanctuary covered in fly eggs and with burns to her skirt, little legs, paws and face. | Photo: Wildline Wildlife Sanctuary
Julie told The Lincolnite she believes the injuries were caused by the hedgehog getting caught in a bonfire or walking through the embers of one.
She tried to cool Phantom’s skin down with water and has been applying burn cream to the animal three times a day. Phantom has also seen a vet, who gave her antibiotics to clear any infection, while some people donated cream and wound spray to the sanctuary.
Julie said: “When the poor little mite came in she was burnt all the way down one side of her face and on the skirt (where the prickles start and the skin underneath).
“We are taking it day by day, but she is currently doing better and hopefully she will eventually be released.
“She has just been bathed and recreamed, the little mite is a fighter and it looks like she will pull through, but I want to warn people to check bonfires before lighting them and to move them to make sure there is no wildlife underneath.”
Julie currently has around 30 baby hedgehogs at the sanctuary, including Phantom. On Saturday, July 31 another hedgehog was dropped off to Julie by a staff member from Tesco in Gainsborough, who had found him wandering around the supermarket’s car park.
This hedgehog is also being cared for at the sanctuary after being found wandering around Tesco car park in Gainsborough. | Photo: Wildline Wildlife Sanctuary
Julie added: “It is the time of year where hedgehogs leave their mums and get caught out and are not sure how to look after themselves. Hedgehogs are endangered and we need to look after our little prickly friends.
“It has been a manic time with more and more animals being brought in, including hedgehogs, ducklings, buzzards, owls and kestrels, but this also shows that people care about wildlife.”
Julie also advised that it is best not to give a hedgehog milk or dried meal worms, and instead you should put water out, along with meaty flavoured dog or cat food/biscuits.
Julie has self-funded her sanctuary from her own pocket, along with donations from other people, but the coronavirus crisis has made it extra challenging as she was unable to participate in fundraising events.
She said she is desperate for donations and anyone wishing to donate can do so through PayPal at [email protected]
The sanctuary can be contacted on 01522 703686 and also has an Amazon wish list for items that are needed for the animals and birds in Julie’s care.
A father accused of murdering his 11-week-old baby boy told a jury on Tuesday that he did not harm the child.
Haroldas Bugaila, giving evidence as his trial at Lincoln Crown Court entered its fifth week, told the jury that he did not know who caused the fatal injuries to his baby Martynas.
Bugaila described himself as “the happiest” when he learned that his partner Aliona was pregnant. “I loved Martynas. I had wanted children from way before.”
Bugaila told the jury he has never seen his own father and said “I wanted to be a good dad”.
The jury has heard that Martynas collapsed at the family home in Boston on March 27, 2019. The baby’s mother took Martynas by taxi to the Pilgrim Hospital and he was later transferred to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.
He was subsequently diagnosed as having suffered a catastrophic brain injury which was unsurvivable. The decision was made to withdraw his life support and he passed away on April 2, 2019.
The prosecutor Jonas Hankin QC earlier told the jury: “The prosecution say that the fatal injury sustained by Martynas was deliberately inflicted by his natural father Haroldas Bugaila. The likely mechanism in this case is shaking with or without an impact against a yielding surface.”
Mr Hankin said that the baby was later found also to have older injuries which he described as deliberately inflicted.
He said there was “significant tension” in the parents’ relationship and that during previous arguments the defendant made threats to make the boy cry.
On Tuesday, Bugaila was asked by his barrister Allison Summers QC “Did you harm Martynas in any way on the afternoon of March 27?” He replied “No, I did not.”
Bugaila also denied harming Martynas in the days leading up to March 27, 2019. He said he had never seen anyone harm the baby.
Granville Street, Boston. | Photo: John Aron
Miss Summers asked him: “If the medical evidence is right and these injuries have been inflicted on this child by an adult, do you know who did this?” He replied “No”.
Bugaila was asked if his partner may have caused the injuries. He responded “I cannot imagine that.”
Haroldas Bugaila, 29, a factory worker, of Granville Street, Boston, denies the murder of Martynas Bugaila on April 2, 2019 and denies causing the baby grievous bodily harm to him between February 5 and March 15, 2019.
He also denies further charges of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and inflicting grievous bodily harm to another person.
Whatsapp
