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Brain Tumour Research charity says EastEnders Lola story is important

BBC Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold)BBC
EastEnders viewers recently saw Lola Pearce being diagnosed with a brain tumour

A brain tumour charity said its work with EastEnders on a storyline should help more people understand the cancer's "indiscriminate nature".

Milton Keynes-based Brain Tumour Research helped scriptwriters on the BBC soap as character Lola Pearce was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM).

A GBM is the most common type of brain tumour in adults and the average survival time is 12 to 18 months.

Hugh Adams, from the charity, said it was "so important" to raise awareness.

Last week viewers saw Lola, played by Danielle Harold, being diagnosed.

The storyline will follow the experiences of Lola, and those around her, as she faces her new reality of being a young person living with a brain tumour.

Ms Harold said: "It means so much to be trusted with a storyline like this - one that's close to many people's hearts.

"Sadly many of our viewers will be able to relate to Lola's story, and it's been heart-breaking to speak to the families affected by brain tumours and hear their stories."

Albert Square sign
EastEnders worked closely with the charity to make sure it was portrayed as realistically and sensitively as possible

Mr Adams said one in three people know of someone with a brain tumour, so they were "not that rare".

"Working with people like EastEnders really has an impact for our community to recognise that people care and are interested," he said.

"We are bringing to more people the indiscriminate nature of the disease. It's not about ageing or lifestyle, that's why it's the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40."

Mr Adams said the team at EastEnders approached the charity as they wanted the storyline to have "integrity and authenticity".

He said since the storyline began there had been "huge traffic" on the charity's social media channels and he hoped it would encourage more research.

"People can't support a cause unless they know it exists," Mr Adams said.

He added that more investment was needed in "science and cures" to improve the prognosis for people with brain tumours.

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