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I have lost my mum to glioblastoma and am struggling to accept she’s gone forever

Imogen1234
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My mum had a funny turn at the end of October 2025 and was gone by the end of January 2026, only 3 months and she had nothing else wrong with her

She had been shopping and when she came home all of her words were coming out wrong and she seemed panicky, I called an ambulance and on arrival to hospital she had a seizure. When they scanned her they found a mass on the left side of her brain. I was so positive and hopeful it was just a benign tumour which could be removed, but when we went to see the consultant 2 weeks later he told us it was stage 4 glioblastoma and was incurable. He said with surgery and treatment we may be able to hope for another 1-2 years together. She was completely normal at this point because the steroids she’d been put on had taken the swelling down so it was hard to imagine her not being around for much longer. She didn’t want the surgery but she agreed to it for me and my daughter. I have some guilt over that though as she was never quite the same afterwards. She struggled with simple tasks and was very confused and forgetful which was sad to see because she was so frustrated and hated being dependent on others.

I moved in with her and did my very best to look after her, at times I struggled with my patience which I feel horrible about now but it was so intense and tiring. I took her to all her radiotherapy appointments and she seemed to be getting worse not better. She finished the chemo tablets and was on a break before the next cycle and suddenly just went rapidly downhill and had another seizure. She became very weak then and I managed to get her in the hospice, which she was really upset with me about because she had become a bit childlike and just wanted to be at home, not having any consideration to how stressful and upsetting it was for me and my daughter to have the worry of her falling or something bad happening  and not knowing how to cope with it. I visited her every day but she passed away a week later.

She was my best friend in the world I am lost without her. It has been just over 7 weeks now and I sup se I’ve been so busy sorting everything out i haven’t really broken down too much yet, but she is always on my mind all of the time. I miss her so much. I still can’t actually believe I’ll never see er again

  • Hello Imogen1234

    I'm so very sorry to hear that you lost your Mum a few weeks ago, and not too long after her cancer diagnosis. It sounds like it's been a whirlwind few months for you, and it's understandable that it feels hard to believe what has happened at times. 

    Losing a loved one can be incredibly difficult and it sounds like you and your Mum were very close. It's natural to feel overwhelmed by thoughts and emotions at times as you begin to navigate this journey of coping with grief. 

    Grief is a natural process but it can be devastating. I hope that you have support from loved ones around you and your daughter. I know that many people have found it helpful to seek bereavement support after the loss of a loved one. It may be that the hospice where your Mum was cared for offers this service or alternatively, you could contact a charity such as Cruse for some grief counselling. There's also lots of support and advice about coping with grief available on the Marie Curie website. 

    Try not to look too far ahead into the future at the moment Imogen1234, if it feels too overwhelming. Instead, be kind to yourself and take things a day at a time. If a day feels too long, then just go hour by hour and reach out to your friends and those who can offer support in those moments. 

    If it would help to talk things through with one of our team of nurses, you're most welcome to give them a call. I know they will be happy to listen and offer any advice, informarion and support they can. They're available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm on 0808 800 4040. 

    Keep posting here in the Cacner Chat forum if it helps to have a safe place to put down in writing how you're feeling, ask questions or chat with others who understand. We're here for you. 

    Sending you and your daughter our best wishes at this difficult time. 
    Jenn
    Cancer Chat moderator 

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