THE neighbour of a Bromsgrove teenager diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour has raised more than £20,000 in just two weeks to fund pioneering treatment to prolong her life.

Charlotte Taylor, 19, was given the news after an appointment at a Bromsgrove opticians last month resulted in an emergency trip to A&E.

“She had been complaining of headaches since Christmas," said dad John. “She went to the doctors but two weeks later the headaches were still there, and she had started to struggle reading and recognising numbers.

“We went back to the doctors and said she really needs to go for a scan and he agreed. But the same day I’d booked her in to see an optician, thinking it might be her eyesight that’s causing the problems.

“They noticed the optic nerve was swollen in both eyes and told us to rush to Birmingham Eye Hospital.

“We got sent to A&E immediately and by 3am, the doctor had confirmed she had a large tumour on her brain. The following morning we knew it was cancer.”

Charlotte, described as ‘the sweetest girl’ and ‘everybody’s friend’ by her adoring dad, had just started studying for a degree in nursing.

She is now struggling with her vision and memory, and has a weakness on her right side.

Doctors have ruled out surgery, but Charlotte is undergoing chemo and radiotherapy, while her family and boyfriend-of-five-years AJ Drew explore alternative treatments.

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Charlotte, with boyfriend-of-five-years AJ Drew

“We’re researching other options like proton therapy or immunotherapy, but they’re not available on the NHS," said father-of-three John. “There’s hospitals in Germany or the US that offer treatments, or TTF (Tumour Treating Fields) here in the UK, but that can cost around £25,000 a month."

“Family, friends and friends-of-friends have been doing their own fundraisers and donating online. The amount they’ve raised is astonishing - we keep breaking all of our fundraising targets.

“The money is helping us to explore our options."

Kate Cotterill, who lived next to the Taylors on Bromsgrove’s Oakalls estate, launched the online fundraising appeal after watching her dad suffer from a similar condition.

“Charlotte’s diagnosis resonated with me because my dad had the same diagnosis three years ago,” she said. “Anyone with experience of brain tumours knows how unpredictable and aggressive they can be.”

Kate added: “I wanted to channel my sadness into something productive.

“In less than a week we raised more than £16,000, which is just amazing. Every penny will go towards Charlotte’s treatment and making special memories.”

To donate visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/kate-cotterill.