WHEN JOSIE PHILLIPS and her husband, Roger, sail Nordlys, their Contessa 32 yacht into Cowes, tomorrow (Aug 28), the marina won’t be welcoming ordinary sailors.

Josie, 27 and a doctor at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, has set herself a challenge with three primary objectives:

They are to sail anti-clockwise around the coast of Britain; raise awareness of brain tumours and, at the same time, collect around £20,000 through sponsorship for Brain Tumour Research www.braintumourresearch.org .

So far they have sailed 1,710 nautical miles with about 370 to go before arriving back in Ipswich on September 4 and have raised £10,000 for Brain Tumour Research.

It took doctors five years to diagnose Josie with a brain tumour. Four years later she faced the devastating news that the tumour had become malignant. Now Josie is determined to live life to the full for as long as she can.

She said: “Living with an incurable disease is extremely difficult and we hope that the funding we raise for Brain Tumour Research will give hope to others in the future.

“I started having problems from about the age of sixteen – unexplained headaches and “vagueness” – and was seen by various doctors who diagnosed either migraine or stress. These problems continued throughout my time at university, culminating in a grand-mal seizure in 2004 at the age of 21 during a six week wind-surfing holiday in Southern Spain. A CT scan confirmed the presence of a brain tumour, later confirmed as a slow-growing Astrocytoma.

“For a long time I was very angry, blaming other people for the length of time the tumour had gone undiagnosed. I came to realise, however, that all the time my condition had gone undiagnosed I had successfully managed to complete my degree, and as the tumour was low grade, it would probably have been a case of watch and wait anyway.

“In 2005 I underwent my first “awake” craniotomy to remove as much of the tumour as was possible, only to discover a year later that the tumour had grown back necessitating a further operation. By this time I was at Cardiff University to complete a degree in Medicine, graduating in 2007.

“I started work as a junior doctor at Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, but in 2008 a scan revealed that the tumour had grown back yet again. A biopsy revealed that it had progressed to a grade IV, which was devastating news, turning my world upside down. I didn’t know whether I was even going to see my next birthday.

“Chemotherapy and radiotherapy followed and I was very frustrated to find that I became very poorly whilst undergoing the radiotherapy. I had been given to understand that some people still managed to carry on working whilst on this treatment, but there was no way I could do the same.

“Then a big abscess was found where the tumour had been so I had yet another operation. Next the bone flap became rotten so a portion of my skull had to be removed. I went through a stage of feeling like I would never get back to normal, but I did.”

Helen Bulbeck and committee members of Brainstrust, the brain cancer charity based in Cowes, dedicated to improving clinical care for brain tumour sufferers throughout the UK and providing coordinated support in their search for treatment, will be there to welcome Josie.

Helen said: “We are truly inspired by Josie’s bravery and strength in the face of her brain tumour. Her journey shows real strength of character and gives other patients and their families hope in a time of sadness. We are so pleased that she has chosen to visit the Isle of Wight and we would hope everyone contributes so that she can reach her fundraising target of £20,000 for Brain Tumour Research.”

To contact Brainstrust for support and advice, telephone 01983 292405, or email [email protected] or for more information go to www.brainstrust.org.uk