When Lachlan Lindsay was only eight years old, he received a shocking diagnosis: a brain tumour. His family, hailing from Stonehaven, feared the worst but were relieved when swift surgery led to his recovery. Six years later, the unthinkable happened. Lachlan’s younger cousin, Hazel Dempster, then aged 12 and living in Kirkcudbright, began experiencing severe headaches. A referral from her general practitioner led to a scan that revealed a significant growth in her brain.
“Imagine if we both had a brain tumour,” Lachlan lightheartedly remarked during a phone call to reassure her before her MRI. Unfortunately, the reality was even more alarming. Hazel underwent emergency neurosurgery shortly after the diagnosis, with doctors draining fluid from her brain caused by a tumour larger than a golf ball.
Reflecting on their shared experience, Hazel, now 16, noted, “It was a massive shock because the likelihood of two cousins having brain tumours is so minuscule.” Despite the grim circumstances, she feels a unique bond with Lachlan. “I think I’ve probably got a closer relationship with Lachlan now because it’s something me and him can relate to that practically nobody else in our life can.”
Both teenagers now live with their tumours, as surgical removal is not an option due to their locations in the brain. Their conditions are not genetically linked, leading them to conclude that it is simply “bad luck” that their family has faced this challenge twice.
Hazel, who has been diagnosed with an optic chiasm pilocytic astrocytoma, describes her journey with remarkable resilience. “To be honest, we just joke about it… I don’t know if it’s a coping mechanism,” she told BBC Scotland News. She views her brain tumour as a part of her identity. “It’s just part of me, it’s like my arm, my leg, my brain tumour.”
Since her initial surgery, which involved a blue-light ambulance transfer to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, Hazel has undergone six additional operations and endured a rigorous course of chemotherapy. The treatment resulted in various side effects, including prolonged nerve pain that affected her mobility and dexterity. “It feels like you’re wearing big winter gloves every day,” she explained, detailing how it limits her ability to perform simple tasks.
Despite these challenges, Hazel has managed to maintain a semblance of normalcy in her life. She now takes a daily oral chemotherapy that allows her to engage in regular activities, including a recent ambitious rail trip across Europe with her family.
Her academic achievements are notable; she excelled in her National 5 exams and received recognition from the Chief Scout with an Unsung Hero award for her leadership in a local Scout troop. “I don’t think of any of it as anything special, it’s just sort of my life,” she said. “But it’s nice that people see it as something else, something bigger.”
Hazel’s tumour is stable but will not shrink, and she is acutely aware of the fragility of life, having witnessed others in her ward who did not survive their battles. “I’m enjoying and savouring feeling well because I know what it’s like not to,” she remarked.
Meanwhile, Lachlan, now a first-year student at the University of Aberdeen, grapples with the reality of living with a benign mass known as a tectal plate glioma. This condition was discovered after he developed a slight squint and experienced intermittent headaches.
“I remember being taken to the hospital. I remember the first MRI I had. I remember the diagnosis,” he recounted. Surgery was performed at the old Sick Kids’ Hospital in Edinburgh to address the hydrocephalus, or fluid build-up, which posed a life-threatening risk.
Lachlan describes the intense pain he felt post-surgery as one of the lowest points in his life. “It was days before I could properly turn my head,” he said, illustrating the emotional and physical toll the experience took on him.
The tumour has impacted Lachlan’s cognitive abilities, leading to dyspraxia and a slower processing speed. “Sometimes I will take longer to understand a question in a test because the tumour holds me back,” he explained. Yet he remains determined to succeed. “I’ve managed to do pretty well for myself in spite of my limitations,” he added, expressing aspirations to become a Hollywood film director while studying English and Film & Visual Culture.
Their family’s journey has not gone unnoticed. Lachlan and Hazel’s aunt, Emma Christie, has been deeply affected by their diagnoses. As an author, she has raised over £3,000 for The Brain Tumour Charity while promoting her latest crime thriller. “I’ve often felt helpless in the face of such a life-changing diagnosis,” she shared. “But by supporting the charity and helping to raise funds for research, I feel like I’m transforming the grief into positive action.”
This family’s story is a testament to resilience in the face of adversity, illustrating how shared experiences can forge deep connections, even in the most challenging circumstances.
