‘It feels like losing a future as well as a sibling’: Laura Nuttall’s sister says she’s ‘lost her other half’ after death of 23-year-old cancer campaigner

• Gracie, from Lancashire, said she didn’t believe she would die until her last day
• READ MORE: Brave Laura’s extraordinary bucket list

Gracie Nuttall has spoken out about losing her sister, Laura, adding that ‘it feels like losing a future as well as losing a sibling.’

Her sister, Laura Nuttall, thought her symptoms were ‘freshers’ flu’ but she was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme – the most aggressive form of brain cancer – in 2018. 

Despite being given just 12 months to live, Laura underwent operations, chemotherapy and radiotherapy and graduated with a 2:1 in politics, philosophy and economics (PPE) last summer.

The brave campaigner died aged 23 at her home in Lancashire last month. 

 Laura manged to constantly defy the expectations of medics, which has made it even more difficult for Gracie, 21, to accept that her big sister has passed away. 

Her sister, Laura Nuttall, thought her symptoms were ‘freshers’ flu ‘ but she was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme – the most aggressive form of brain cancer – in 2018. Pictured: Gracie with Laura at her graduation last year

Brain tumours: The statistics and symptoms

• Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40 in the UK
• Over 12,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour in the UK each year, with almost 5,000 people still losing their lives to the disease per year
• There are over 120 different types of brain tumour, as classified by the World Health Organisation 
• Just 12 per cent of adults survive for five years after a brain tumour diagnosis, with the disease continuing to reduce life expectancy by 27 years on average — the highest of any cancer. 

Common signs of brain tumours in adults

• Perisistent/recurring headaches
• Fatigue
• Seizures or fits 
• Nausea/vomiting
• Memory issues 
• Problems with vision
• Cognitive changes, such as difficulty concentrating, learning, decision making, planning and problem solving. 
• Speech difficulties
• Loss of taste and smell 

Source: The Brain Tumour Charity 

Gracie told BBC Newsbeat: ‘I think you end up with hope which is the worst part because you actually believe that she will get better.’

She added that she did not believe that Laura was going to die up until her very last day.

She says that the little things remind her that she has lost her ‘other half,’ such as seeing her bedroom light turned off or viewing something funny online and realising she cannot share it with her sister anymore. 

Gracie told the outlet: ‘It just feels like there’s a gaping hole in the house and I can’t get my head around the fact that she isn’t coming back.

‘It feels like losing a future as well as losing a sibling.’

Gracie says that she has spent her entire life thinking that her future would involve Laura, but that reality has been ‘snatched out’ from under her. 

Gracie was only 16 and starting her A-Levels when her sister was diagnosed with brain cancer. 

She described the time around the diagnosis as ‘terrifying,’ and took around six months off college.

Gracie has just finished her degree, achieving a 2:1 in film production from the University of Salford and is due to graduate this summer. 

The graduate said for the past five years, she was known as ‘Laura’s sister’ and people would often start ask how her sister was. 

Her mother Nicola admitted that it was hard to concentrate on both siblings during challenging times.

Nicola, who posts on Twitter under the handle @s**tscaredmum, confirmed Laura passed away in the early hours of the morning as she paid tribute to her ‘fierce & tenacious’ daughter. 

At the time she wrote: ‘I’m heartbroken to share the news that we lost our beautiful Laura in the early hours of this morning. 

‘She was fierce & tenacious to the end & it was truly the honour of my life to be her mum.  

Gracie described there being a ‘gaping hole’ in their home since Laura died last month aged 23 

Gracie says that she has spent her entire life thinking that her future would involve Laura, but that reality has been ‘snatched out’ from under her. Pictured: The sisters when they were younger

Mother Nicola confirmed Laura passed away in the early hours of the morning last month and paid tribute to her ‘fierce & tenacious’ daughter. Pictured: Laura with her father Mark, sister Gracie and mother Nicola

‘We are devastated at the thought of life without our girl, she was a force of nature.’

She also revealed the family were spending as much time together as possible in the spring sunshine in the last few weeks of Laura’s life. 

After she was diagnosed five years ago, Laura and her family launched a campaign to raise money for her treatment and teamed up with charities including Our Brain Bank and The Brain Tumour Trust to raise awareness of glioblastoma.

In 2021, semi-retired Peter Kay joined the Nuttall family’s efforts, hosting a Q&A session on glioblastoma in honour of Laura.

Laura had chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radiotherapy and several operations since she was diagnosed in October 2018 (pictured after one of her operations)

Gracie was only 16 and starting her A-Levels when her sister was diagnosed with brain cancer. Pictured: The sisters when they were younger

Laura managed to tick off several ‘bucket list’ requests since receiving her diagnosis in October 2018

Laura’s letter of life lessons to school pupils  

After being diagnosed with a glioblastoma, Laura spoke to pupils in Year 6 at Barrowford Primary School in Lancashire on a school visit where she shared her story. After the visit, she wrote them a letter sharing her top life lessons:

Dear Student,

I feel very honoured to be writing this letter to you and having met a few of you when I was part of the ‘Human Library’, I have no doubt you will have gathered many of the skills you need for life by attending the brilliant Barrowford Primary School but I wanted to tell you a little bit about me, what I’ve been through, and lessons I’ve learned along the way.

Ever since I was young, I had a plan. A sort of vision about how my life would go, as I imagine most of you do too. I got irritated when things didn’t follow my plan and used every force necessary to put it back on track again. My dad constantly liked to tell me ‘You can’t predict life, you never know what you’re going to get’ and as much as I hate to admit it, he was right.

Whilst I was starting university, by a series of very fortunate events, I was diagnosed with brain cancer. I was lucky, because I was later told that if I wasn’t diagnosed as fast as I was, I wouldn’t be here to write this letter. This news turned mine and my family’s life upside down and we had to start adapting to life with cancer. Much like my dad had predicted, my plan was instantly changed forever.

Dealing with cancer and all its side effects has taught me a few lessons that I would like to share with you today:

Life lesson one: If you get knocked down, don’t stay down

Sometimes you might need a little time to recover from bumps in the road but get up as soon as you can. That’s what will make you strong. Resilience is important because we can’t always control what happens, but we can control how we deal with it.

Life lesson two: Don’t let others limit you or tell you that you can’t do something.

If you work hard and put your mind to it, there’s almost nothing you can’t achieve. Challenge other people’s expectations and make it your mission to prove those doubters wrong.

Life lesson three: Learn to ask for help

Sometimes you will need to ask for help from those around you. This doesn’t make you any less capable. We all need help from time to time and it’s important to talk to the people who care about you. It’s not a sign of weakness!

Life lesson four: Seek out happiness

At the time, finding out I had maybe a year to live was the worst thing I could have imagined, but In the last three years, I have met incredible people, travelled to brilliant places, and lived more in a few years than many people do in a whole lifetime. My situation is not what I would have chosen, but I can honestly say I have made the very best of a bad situation.

Lesson five: Trust in kindness

Although watching the news makes you think the opposite, I have learned that people are really very kind.

My life most definitely hasn’t gone to plan but there are so many opportunities and experiences that I would have missed if it had.

I hope that your life does go to plan, but if it doesn’t, you might be pleasantly surprised at what’s just around the corner for you.

And so, as you all make this next step in your lives, I hope you take all the opportunities life gives you and say ‘yes’ to things, even if you’re a tiny bit scared.

Be kind, be brave, be silly, be honest, be happy, be you.

Love from Laura

Gracie added that she feels nervous about her graduation ceremony next month, but will find a way to ensure that her sister’s presence is felt. 

Her advice for anyone going through something similar is take time for yourself and don’t ‘beat yourself up’ for still enjoying aspects of life.

Gracie also said as Laura managed to complete her bucket list, there’s no excuse for the rest of us. 

Speaking to BBC Breakfast today, Gracie and her mother vowed to continue Laura’s legacy by setting up a foundation in her name. 

The foundation will undertake charity work which was close to Laura’s heart such as brain cancer research, community projects such as food banks and helping children from refugee and disadvantaged families.

Gracie said: ‘It’s the one way we can sort of still feel like she’s here and doing what she would want us to do.

‘She would want us to be here and be talking about it and I think it’s trying to deal with the grief in that way and almost make it proactive.’ 

To learn more about Laura’s campaign to raise awareness of glioblastoma, visit her website, Doing It For Laura 

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