"I’m living every day with a quiet grief — not a fear of dying, but the sadness of not being able to live the way I once dreamed.”
Nicole Morgan
At 40, Nicole Morgan was exactly where she hoped to be – a young mother, building a career as a pharmacist and preparing to buy a home in Coffs Harbour with her partner. Active and outdoors most days, she was living a full life.
That changed the night she noticed a patch of numbness on her face. A precautionary CT scan revealed a large mass on the right frontal lobe of her brain.
After days of uncertainty, Nicole was eventually diagnosed with IDH-mutant glioma, an incurable but slow-growing form of brain cancer. “My life didn’t just change. It detonated.”
People diagnosed with IDH-mutant glioma are often told they are lucky and that it’s the ‘good type’ of brain cancer, but as Nicole learned, there is no such thing.
Nicole underwent an awake craniotomy, followed by radiation and chemotherapy – all with one goal in mind: buying more time. “This cancer is incurable. So, every treatment – even the tough ones – were buying me more time and time matters more than anything now.”
People often tell Nicole that she doesn’t look like someone with brain cancer.
“Most people have never heard of IDH-mutant glioma. They don’t see the emotional, physical or practical impact. If sharing my story helps even one person feel understood – or helps others listen – then it’s worth it.”
Nicole is part of the I AM campaign – developed by Servier and co-created with the community, including Brain Cancer Australia. The campaign aims to challenge misconceptions about IDH-mutant glioma and highlight the lived experience of those affected.
Read Nicole’s full story and learn why awareness of IDH-mutant glioma matters.
