Louise has also spoken of how she was given a boost by Hull City legend Dean Windass in a chance meeting on a train
A Hull woman with a terminal brain tumour who is raising money for potentially life-extending treatment has been given hope by fundraising friends and businesses. After suffering a series of headaches and puzzling memory issues, doctors this summer delivered the devastating news that Louise Jensen had brain cancer – a massive Grade 4 Glioblastoma leaving her with a life expectancy of one to two years.
One of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer, with treatment it has an average survival rate of 12 months to 18 months, while the five-year survival rate is around 5%. Her life upended in an instant, Louise, 40, will readily admit how she has struggled to function ever since, knowing that the aggressive tumour is also sapping her ability to stay positive.
However, her devoted partner of eight years Adam Philipson and best friend Becky Brount have been working tirelessly, bringing family, friends and supporters together in efforts to raise £80,000 – the money needed to pay for pioneering treatment in Germany. We told in October how Louise – a former operating theatre practitioner at Hull Royal Infirmary with her own business, LJ Healthcare – needs to raise the five-figure sum so that CeGat German Oncology Centre in Tübingen can create peptide vaccines, specific to her tumour.
Since then, she has completed a course of chemotherapy on the NHS and more than £29,000 has been raised through the GoFundMe campaign. That’s enough to fund the first stage. A sample of the tumour has now been be sent to the experts in Tübingen to analyse, and create the treatment, a process which takes around five months.
While it can’t cure her cancer, it could keep it at bay to give her a longer life-span than her current, cruelly-short life expectancy. Louise has now been given hope in the form of two forthcoming fundraisers aimed at reaching that all important target. She also told how she has also been touched by the support she has received from wellwishers – including Tigers legend Dean Windass who she recently shared a train journey to London with, by sheer chance.
She and Adam recently travelled to London to meet with doctors as they explore other treatment options – and they shared the entire journey with former Hull City striker Dean, who moved seats to chat with them about Louise’s hopes for treatment. And he even gave the couple £100 to spend on a treat in the capital.
Louise said: “That trip made me realise that everyone is quite caring. Even one of the taxi drivers, when we told him while we there, wouldn’t accept the fare from us.
“My taste buds are a bit strange at the moment because of the chemo, but we had a lovely Thai meal – and that was on Dean. I’m forever grateful to him for that.”
Close friend Becky is helping her edge closer to the GoFundMe target by organising a comedy and music night, Laugh for Lou, set to be held at the Good Fellowship pub in Cottingham Road, Hull on January 30. Emerging band The Airwaves will provide music, and comedy entertainment will be provided by stand-up acts Andy Lane, Steve Rimmer and Kellii Taylor.
Becky, who has been close friends with Louise since 2007, said their circle of friends are all working together to boost event and raffle ticket sales.
She said: “When we found out about Lou’s cancer I was just thinking ‘what can I do to help’, but after setting up a charity a couple of years ago I realised that beauty happens when people come together, when the community comes together to help.
“I looked at my network and thought who can I beg, borrow and steal from basically. The Goodfellowship bless them have given us the room for free and we’ve got a lot of raffle prizes so far too. Holiday vouchers, llama farm vouchers, beauty vouchers, bottles, Tigers tickets – all from local people and businesses which is lovely.
“And the Ring of Hope event is going to be big – Calum has been creating a brochure and recruiting boxers. It’s been such a fast moving situation but this boxing event has given her a lot of hope because we’re talking big numbers.
“I’m personally finding it really hard not seeing Lou, and the fact it has all hit her so hard and that she’s so desperately depressed. But we have that hope that we can prolong her life and give her a better chance. I’m hoping that will give her the confidence to come out of her shell.”
On the back of our initial story, directors at Dunswell construction company Zenith Developments are planning the huge charity boxing night, called Ring of Hope. Organised by company director Calum Preston, the event is set to be staged at the Doubletree Hilton in Hull on June 20 – and having raised £100,000 at the previous event, hopes are high that it could hit Louise’s target.
The organisers said: “After raising an incredible £100,000 in 2025, we’re stepping back into the ring for another powerful night of community, courage and compassion, and this year we’re fighting for Louise Jensen. Our goal is to raise £65,000 to help her access a potentially life-extending treatment that isn’t available on the NHS.
“Once we hit our target for Louise, any additional funds will go towards helping someone else facing extraordinary hardship, because Ring of Hope was built to life more than one family. Let’s do this. For Louise. For hope. For something bigger.”
Louise added: “I’m in bed at the moment and have been all day and it’s just sheer depression. I’m just so depressed – but how can I be depressed when I’ve got all these lovely people reaching out for me, doing everything they can for me.
“I need to try to put my big girl pants on, but it’s just so depressing when you’ve been given a death sentence. I can’t seem to shift the prognosis out of my head. But hopefully, with all the fundraising, I can get more treatment. I am forever grateful for everyone’s support and love. I just can’t seem to get out of bed.”
A few tickets remain for Laugh for Lou, priced £25. For tickets or to make and can be purchased by emailing beckyjblount@gmail.com. To support Ring of Hope 2026 contact calum@zdglimited.com
Get all the latest headlines sent straight to your inbox for free with our newsletter. You can stay up to date with all the breaking news and top stories as they happen in Hull and East Yorkshire by clicking this link .