A brave Bradford mum-of-three who is suffering from a rare brain and spinal tumour has achieved her ambition of dancing on her 40th birthday.

After months of uncertainty, battling against a life-threatening illness, Carrolyn Fitzsimmons yesterday celebrated the milestone she thought she would never reach.

It is a target she set herself 14 months ago after being told by consultants she was suffering from an inoperable tumour.

The condition occurs in just one in five million adults worldwide and it is one which doctors predicted could leave her with just months to live.

But Carrolyn vowed to fight the energy-sapping disease and enjoying her birthday celebrations was a morale-boosting stepping stone in her battle for survival.

She said: "I've been very positive because I believe in mind over matter. I keep setting myself targets and my 40th birthday is another milestone.

"I achieved my aim and had a bit of a dance. I would have liked to have had a big wild west party with line dancing, but I'm not quite ready for that yet - maybe in the summer."

The tumour - a condition known as Ependymoma Oligodendrogliomas - is so rare it took medical experts at Bradford Royal Infirmary three months to diagnose.

Surgeons were only able to remove 20 per cent of the tumour when they operated in November 1997 because of its position in the brain stem.

It was a stressful time for Carrolyn, her husband Martin, and their three children Shane, 22, Gavin, 21 and Joanne, 18, but the family pulled together.

And they received a tremendous amount of support from friends and neighbours. They began searching the Internet for a foreign specialist and launched a £15,000 fundraising appeal.

Recent brain scans have revealed the tumour has not enlarged and consultants are overwhelmed at the progress Carrolyn has already made.

But she is not stopping there. She said: "The next big date to focus on is Martin's birthday on April 29."

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