A teen from Builth Wells will be taking on the ABP Newport 10K as part of her brain tumour recovery.
Erin Coyle, 17, says this will be the furthest she has run in over a year since she was diagnosed with the condition, and it will be her first race post-treatment.
Erin, who is studying for her Geography, Business and History A Levels, found out she had a brain tumour in March 2025.
She said: “In September I went to my GP with hormonal issues and was referred to an endocrinology clinic. I had blood tests and scans but nothing came up, so they referred me to have an MRI. Three days later I was playing the violin in a concert in school and the registrar on duty called saying I needed to go to hospital immediately and to bring an overnight bag.”
That’s when Erin was told that they’d detected a 4cm tumour near her pituitary gland. It was blocking one of the ventricles in her brain and wasn’t allowing the fluid to flow properly. She needed urgent surgery.
She said: “It was a big shock. I never expected to hear that – I hadn’t been experiencing any headaches or dizziness. What was even worse, was that my Godmother Michelle had recently passed away from a brain tumour, so it was a really frightening time.”
Erin needed to have three surgeries at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham – one of which lasted 14.5 hours – to try and remove as much of the rare benign Grade 1 tumour as possible.
She said: “I was extremely fortunate they found the tumour when they did. My neurosurgeon said if they didn’t operate when they did, the consequences could’ve been serious.
“There were little bits of tumour left and doctors were worried that it might have spread down my spine. All I could do was wait to see if it had gone away or if I’d need further treatment.
“I had to learn how to walk again and I’d lost my balance as the tumour was so close to the nerve that controls that. All I kept asking was ‘when can I run again?’ as me and my mum used to go running together all the time, including taking part at our local parkrun at the Groe.
“We were meant to be taking part in the Cardiff Half Marathon together but had to cancel those plans with everything going on. Instead, I set myself the goal of running the Newport 10K in April with my family to help give me something to aim for.”
In August Erin went back to the hospital, where unfortunately they decided that further treatment would be needed. She then needed to undergo six weeks of proton beam therapy at The Christie in Manchester.
“My mum Nerys stayed with me the whole time, and my dad Stuart came back and forth on weekends,” said Erin. “I have two older brothers too, one’s in university and the other was travelling in Australia but came back home to surprise me during my last week of treatment.”
Erin finished her treatment on October 31 and spent the next few weeks recovering before easing herself back into school. She’s due another check-up in February to see if the therapy was a success.
She said: “I feel good now as my treatment is finished. I’m just trying to face everything with a positive attitude – I’ve got my target of taking part in the 10K and just want to focus on the things that are important.”
The Newport 10K is part of the ABP Newport Marathon Festival which takes place on Sunday 19 April. The event also features a marathon and half marathon as well as a mile distance and a series of junior races.
Matt Newman, Chief Executive at event organisers Run 4 Wales, said: “Hearing of Erin’s goal to take on the ABP Newport 10K as part of her recovery is so inspiring. Her positive attitude and determination speak to the heart of what our events are about – celebrating resilience, community and the power of sport to help people through life’s toughest moments. We can’t wait to cheer Erin and her family around the course and celebrate with them as they cross the finish line in April.”
To help contribute to the fundraising efforts in memory of Erin’s godmother, Michelle, for The Brain Tumour Charity visit: www.justgiving.com/page/gwen-davies-1?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL
