Edinburgh mum loses four members of family to brain cancer within 16 years

Claire with her nephew Max prior to his passing.
-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited


A Edinburgh woman detailed the harrowing loss her family has experienced with four members dying from aggressive brain tumours in 16 years.

Claire Cordiner, from Gilmerton, lost her mother, younger sister, her nephew and her cousin to cancer. The residential care officer hopes by opening up on her family’s devastating losses she will be able to raise awareness around brain tumours - which kill more people under the age of 40 than any other cancer.

Claire’s mum, Margaret O’Kane, from Wishaw, died when she was 67 in 2008 from a brain tumour. This was followed by her sister Angie Jones, 36, from East Kilbride, in 2009; Angie’s son Max, 19, also died from a brain tumour in 2023 and her cousin David McCulloch, 56, was the latest to die last year from a brain tumour.

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“My mum’s speech started to go a bit and the GP initially thought it had been a mini stroke and they said they would keep an eye on it,” Claire said. “But within a matter of weeks she became incoherent and my dad took her to hospital.

“Her eyesight wasn’t great either and she thought it was old age. She never suffered from any headaches. Thankfully she was offered a scan right away where they discovered two tumours, one at the front of her brain and the other at the base.

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“She was offered radiotherapy but at a reduced dose due to her age and later underwent surgery to remove as much as they could from the front tumour but they could not touch the base.

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“Doctors told her she had less than a year, which was devastating but she just accepted it. She was that kind of person.”

Margaret remained at home except for a couple of times where she went into a hospice for respite for her husband, Brian. It was her wish to be at home where she sadly passed away in October 2008.

“My mum had 12 children and she adored kids, family was her life,” Claire said. “She was kind, funny and caring. Christmas and special occasions were everything to her, she would cook for 25 plus and was in her element when feeding everyone.

Margaret with husband Brian.
Margaret with husband Brian.

“My mum was a feeder. She would sometimes have to feed us in three sittings because there were so many of us.”

Tragically Claire and her family were in store for more heartache as Angie, her younger sister, began experiencing headaches and twitching in her arms and legs. Angie at this time was pregnant and was not officially diagnosed with a brain tumour until her son Max was six months old.

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“My sister opted not to go through treatment as she wanted to have another child,” Claire said. “But she later underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She managed to live with the cancer for five years.

“She was fine for a few years during that period but she developed more symptoms due to the tumour growing. Doctors tried to continue chemo but she developed pneumonia and they said there was nothing they could do for her.”

Angie died in December 2009 but Claire said she never let her illness define her, often sending light hearted updates to the family via email about her ‘heid.’ Claire described Angie as the life and soul of the party who loved to dance.

Angie on her wedding day.
Angie on her wedding day.

“Dancing queen was her funeral song,” Claire added. “She was funny, beautiful and had lots of friends, not to mention she doted on Max. She was so outgoing and loved life, she really coped well with her diagnosis and took it in her stride.

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“I have a lot of sadness because she would not see Max grow up and Max would not have his mum to be there for him. We just spent what time we could with Max, who was five when his mother passed, and his family.”

Unbelievably the family's grief was to continue, as Angie’s son Max began to suffer from excruciating headaches and pains in his leg as he approached his 18th. He went to the doctors in 2022 and a brain tumour was picked up right away.

“I think he knew what it was going to be,” Claire said. “It was a week or two before his 18th birthday that he was diagnosed. He had treatment and some surgery to try to remove the tumour, it was really intense.

Max with his 18th pint.
Max with his 18th pint.

“That worked for a bit from October until around New Year when the pain started to return. He went back into hospital and by this point it had regrown and another tumour was found on his spine.

“Towards the end he opted to go into Kilbride hospice who were absolutely fantastic with him. He had a great bunch of mates who would come and see him everyday, they were an incredible support for him. He was football daft and had some Celtic players also pop in to see him.”

Claire’s ‘mischievous, kind and funny’ nephew devastatingly passed away in July 2023, a week after his 19th birthday. His father Kevin had lost both his partner and his son to brain tumours.

“It was devastating for Kevin to lose them both,” Claire said. “But like his mum, Max accepted it. He was a really strong person. His friends continue to raise money for the hospice who were amazing, hosting rave nights and football tournaments. The hospice was outstanding for the care they gave him and his family.”

Incredibly Claire and her family lost yet another loved one with her cousin David McCulloch, 56, from her maternal side, also succumbing to a brain tumour illness in 2024.

Angie was a loving mum to son Max.
Angie was a loving mum to son Max.

“David started having twitching episodes in his right hand lasting only a few seconds which he thought was stress related,” Claire said. “After returning from a family holiday to Florida in July 2018 we were only home a few days when he had a big seizure.

“After multiple tests he was told he had a stroke and stayed in hospital for a week until discharged. He felt fine and returned to work as normal but the twitching continued, something he now put down to the stroke.

“Fast forward six months and David was at work when the doctor called him to apologise to say his notes had been lost and he had not in fact suffered a stroke but he had a brain tumour.

“Within a week another MRI confirmed David had an inoperable Astrocytoma BT. After initial failures David was able to have a biopsy performed on his tumour but this left him with a weakness down his right prominent side.”

David’s next steps were to undergo radiotherapy and chemotherapy but Covid struck and it was cancelled.

He took unwell again in 2022 and attended A&E where an MRI confirmed he had a swelling of the brain. In December he opted for radiotherapy but by July 2023 his health deteriorated to such an extent he suffered a fall down the stairs which left him unable to communicate and move freely.

David was looked after primarily by his wife Yvonne and two sons Daniel, 31, and Aidan ,29, when at home but they also received support from healthcare professionals. He also spent time in St Andrews Hospice.

David was a doting dad to two boys and a loving husband to Yvonne.
David was a doting dad to two boys and a loving husband to Yvonne.

“David's health continued to deteriorate and he was unable to swallow food or his medication,” Claire added. “At this stage it was agreed that David should be admitted to St Andrews Hospice.

“He sadly passed away in February 2024 after a long battle with this horrible disease. We drifted as we got older as most cousins do but he was a real family man who devoted himself to his boys.

“He loved going away for the weekend together with the family whenever he could. David also loved his music and going to scooter rallies.”

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Claire said her family have the fear of brain tumours hanging over them but without more research they are unable to understand whether the condition is genetic. She has thrown herself into raising money for Brain Tumour Research since 2016, describing the act as a way to process her grief.

On Tuesday January 28 she attended the opening of a new Brain Tumor Research centre which is the first of its kind to open in Scotland.

“Everytime you have a headache you think, is this the start?” Claire said. “I worry about my kids, my siblings and my nephews and nieces. Brain tumours have absolutely devastated our family.

On the Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence opening, she added: “Today has been a long time coming, it’s so significant. Ground-breaking research, which will help thousands of people in Scotland, is being done on our doorstep.

“I’m so excited and I really look forward to hearing about discoveries which will lead to new treatments and, hopefully, a cure.”

You can learn more about the new centre opening and Brain Tumour Research by clicking here.