When Abbie McCallay was just 14 years old she found out she had a brain astrocytoma the size of an orange.
It was picked up when the former Dumfries High School student fell off her horse and subsequent scans revealed she had a brain tumour.
After life-saving surgery Abbie wanted to raise money for the Brain Tumour Charity to help prevent others going through what she did.
Last year she had planned a charity ball but that fell through twice due to Covid-19 restrictions.
But the 25-year-old is still determined to raise some money for the charity and has decided to walk a marathon around the town on August 21.
Abbie will be joined by friends – who will be wearing fancy dress for the event.
She said: “I’m raising money for the Brain Tumour Charity who do a lot of research around why people get brain tumours and what treatments are effective.
“I decided to raise money for this charity because of the research they do and I know several people who have also had brain tumours including family and friends.
“At the time I was 14 and it was just all so surreal, it didn’t feel like it was actually happening! I didn’t realise the magnitude of the situation until I was walking to the theatre and my parents were crying.”
She added: “I think the whole experience has made me have a ‘I need to get on with it’ attitude because I wasn’t letting my life stop or be determined by my brain tumour.
“Many charities have missed out from fundraisers over the last 16 months so I want to raise money for a fantastic charity to continue their research and save lives!”
To donate visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/abbie-mccallay
