A globe-trotting investment banker initially believed she had contracted an exotic infectious disease, only to discover it was a brain tumour. The diagnosis came just four months after Bella Depreli turned 30.
She had planned to extend her celebrations throughout the year with various activities including a trip to India, spa breaks, and celebrating friends’ birthdays. Bella began her year in Costa Rica and celebrated her 30th birthday at the Mighty Hoopla festival in Brockwell Park, London, on June 30.
However, upon returning to London, she suffered a sudden seizure in a shopping centre in August. Rushed to St Thomas Hospital in Lambeth, doctors initially suspected Bella was suffering from neurocysticercosis, an infectious disease often contracted in exotic countries, but a scan revealed a mass on her brain, leading to a diagnosis of brain cancer.
Just weeks later, Bella underwent surgery to remove the 1.2cm tumour. This is not the first time her family has been affected by cancer as Bella lost her older sister, Carmen, to the disease in 2003.
Bella is currently undergoing six weeks of intensive radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment but remains determined not to let her diagnosis derail her plans, intending to continue her jet-setting lifestyle post-treatment.
(Image: Bella Depreli/Brain Tumour Research © SWNS)
Bella, a vice president at UBS from Dulwich, southeast London, shared her ordeal: “It was a real shock to be diagnosed with brain cancer. Apart from the seizure, I felt and still feel OK in myself.
“I remember waking up on the floor of the shopping centre in Battersea not knowing what had happened and laughed in disbelief when my friend told me I’d had a seizure.” The diagnosis was particularly poignant as Bella lost her sister, Carmen, to the same disease over two decades ago when she was just nine years old.
Initially, doctors thought Bella might have neurocysticercosis. She explained: “They did an initial MRI and the radiologist had suggested what they could see looked more like parasite which is common in countries around the world, and I had done fair bit of travelling so that added to it.”
However, the reality was much grimmer. She said: “But then to find out it was a tumour was very shocking.”
Bella also revealed the tragic extent of her family’s medical history, including her mother’s death from breast cancer, and said: “My mum died of breast cancer when I was younger and during an appointment with the oncologist, my dad laid out the extent of our full family history.”
Despite the uncertainty about a genetic link, she remains undeterred in her passion for travel, though her plans, including a trip to India, are on hold due to her health. Choosing not to know the specific type of cancer she has, Bella is instead concentrating on fundraising efforts.
(Image: Bella Depreli/Brain Tumour Research © SWNS)
Bella, who walking an incredible 99 Miles in November to support Brain Tumour Research, has already surpassed the £7,000 mark in her fundraising efforts. She said: “I’ve always been active and when I saw the challenge, I thought, I could do that distance in a month.
“Not many people realise how little money is invested in research into brain tumours which is why supporting Brain Tumour Research is so important to me. I don’t want to be just another statistic – I’m maintaining hope for myself and others who are diagnosed with this disease.”
Stats reported by the charity show that brain tumours claim more lives of women under 35 than breast cancer, yet only a minimal 1% of the UK’s cancer research funding is allocated to this area since 2002. Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Bella’s story is a reminder that brain tumours are indiscriminate – they can affect anyone at any age.
“If we are to understand the disease, we must invest in research into brain tumours. It’s only with the support of people like Bella – who is taking on one of our Facebook challenges – that will help us closer to find kinder treatments and eventually a cure for all types of brain tumours.”
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