The BANA team comprises employees at our head office in Chesterfield, our Board of Trustees, plus a host of volunteers from around the country who act as area support group leaders and in editorial and area group administration roles.
Jamie was diagnosed with an Acoustic Neuroma in 2016. He had surgery on 1st July 2019; an easy date for him to remember being BANA Awareness Day and his wedding anniversary.
Jamie is semi-retired. He works part-time as a Project Director for a National charity, OnSide Youth Zones. He works with local authorities and supporters to bring forward new state-of-the-art, multi-million-pound Youth Zones. He is also a trustee at Blackburn Youth Zone.
Craig is a medical writer and patient advocate who has worked in medical communications for over 20 years. He is passionate about helping people understand complex medical concepts and language. The work he does involves translating information into easily accessible segments so that people aren’t overwhelmed by the complexity and amount of information they receive. Craig also has an interest in health psychology.
Craig is delighted to join BANA as a trustee.
My name is Andrew Shipsey and I am honoured to have joined the BANA Board as Treasurer. I currently work in the finance department at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust as Head of Financial Support.
I joined the NHS as a finance graduate trainee back in 2005. In the first few years of my career I was asked to cost an acoustic neuroma procedure (I didn’t know what that was at the time), and was involved in a business case to replace linear accelerators, one of which was to have the ability to do stereotactic-radiotherapy and radiosurgery, met the Medical Director, who was to become my surgeon, about potential investments in cyberknife and gamma knife and worked with budget holders about gaining funding to support patients with neurofibromatosis II.
Simon Lloyd is a Consultant Skull Base Surgeon at Salford Royal Hospital and an Auditory Implant Surgeon at the Manchester Royal Infirmary. He is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester. As part of the Manchester Skull Base Unit. He strives to offer a balanced, multidisciplinary approach to the management of patients with vestibular schwannomas.
Andrea started out as a Staff Nurse (RGN) in 2001 with a period in Orthopaedics, Trauma and then community nursing before settling into Neurosurgery and Skull Base in 2006. After a period as ward sister, she commenced the role of Skull Base Specialist Nurse in 2009; the service being built from scratch to develop this new role within the trust.
Andrew was diagnosed with an Acoustic Neuroma in 2017. Then went on to have translab surgery on the 22nd of May 2017; that date will never be forgotten as it was the Manchester Arena bombing that evening; he also turned 40 in March.
In January 2017, Andrew joined a local running club; over the years, this has proved to be an incredible part of his positive recovery, from the people he has met to the confidence he has gained from fellow runners. He is now a member of the club’s committee.
Juliette has worked as a nurse practitioner for the NF2 and skull base (ENT) service at the Cambridge Skull Base Unit since 2010. She is co-lead for the NF2 service for the East of England/Midland region. She is the team’s lead for user and carer issues and patient experience. She has previously sat on the British Skull Base Society Council and advises various relevant charities and support groups.
Hi all. I am pleased to be part of the team at BANA and support the cause as a Community Support Administrator. I have previous experience working as a youth support worker in local communities and working for Mencap, supporting people with learning disabilities and difficulties, helping them to have a voice and up-skill to achieve their goals.
Brian Moore is Emeritus Professor of Auditory Perception at the University of Cambridge. His research interests are: the perception of sound; mechanisms of normal hearing and hearing impairments; the relationship of auditory abilities to speech perception; design of signal processing hearing aids for sensorineural hearing loss; methods for fitting hearing aids to the individual; design and specification of high-fidelity sound-reproducing equipment; perception of music and of musical instruments.
Thank you to Sara for continuing to play a significant part in the BANA team. As Ambassador for our charity looking at opportunities to raise the profile of BANA and raise awareness of Acoustic Neuromas. You are a breath of fresh air, a burst of energy and a pleasure to speak to. We are honoured to call you our Ambassador!
In July 2015, I had surgery to remove an Acoustic Neuroma. Following the surgery, I was left completely deaf in my left ear and needed to rebuild my balance and redevelop the ability to walk unaided. After spending two days unconscious and a week in the hospital, I returned home to continue my recovery. During diagnosis, surgery and recovery, I was a Professional Footballer for Liverpool FC, and almost three months to the day after surgery made my debut in the Champions League. Now, I am continuously trying to share my story to help inspire people facing their life struggles.