Young singer-songwriter from Sunderland tipped as rising star diagnosed with rare brain tumour

A singer-songwriter from Sunderland has been diagnosed with a rare brain tumour.

Faye Fantarrow, 20, has played a number of festivals in the North East, including Mouth of the Tyne and Stockton Calling.

She had been booked to play Lindisfarne Festival and tipped as a rising star by BBC Introducing in the North East.

However, the musician revealed she was diagnosed with an aggressive glioma brain tumour at the end of this summer.

Ms Fantarrow was previously diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia when she was just eight years old.

She underwent a gruelling course of chemotherapy that robbed her of her hair, mobility and carefree childhood.

The cancer returned in 2015 when she was 13, leading to long stays in hospital, more chemotherapy, radiotherapy and ultimately a bone marrow transplant.

Following this ordeal, Ms Fantarrow began to seriously pursue her passion for music, gaining recognition in the region.

In 2021, she was awarded the Alan Hull award for songwriting and was recently signed to Dave Stewart’s Bay Street Records label.

However, in August this year, her plans were put on hold when she began feeling unwell again.

She returned to hospital for scans and was told her life was ending.

Ms Fantarrow's glioma brain tumour diagnosis is believed to be an extremely rare consequence of the radiotherapy she had for her transplant as a teenager.

In a post on her Twitter, she said: "This came as a complete shock and initially not a very good prognosis regarding my chances of survival.

"However I am so, so fortunate to be surrounded by the most supportive individuals who are refusing to give up on me."

The 20-year-old has now been accepted onto a medical trial in California, USA and is crowdfunding to help pay for the fees of £450,000.

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