A COUPLE who overcame huge financial problems after the husband was struck down with a slow-growing brain tumour have opened a new cafe.

Jonathan Wilkinson’s five-centimetre tumour was discovered on New Year’s Eve, 2015, when he had a fit while with his then eight-year-old son.

An operation removed most of the tumour from his frontal lobe, but a small section had to be left, which is growing slowly. He has seizures daily.

While he was undergoing treatment and on long-term sick leave, his wife Rebecca had to give up her job to look after him and their three children.

However, there was some dispute with their insurers whether his tumour constituted a critical illness, and as they were behind by three months with mortgage payments, with no income, and with a court summons for repossession of their home, they both had to find jobs.

Finally they got a pay out on their insurance, cleared their arrears, took the children on holiday – and decided to fulfil a dream of opening a cafe.

Mrs Wilkinson and her mother-in-law are running Flossy B’s, which opened on Monday on Gladstone Street in Darlington.

She said: “The tumour changed our world completely. Jonathan underwent lifesaving surgery in February last year.

“At the moment this is slow growing and currently stable but we know this will grow one day, we just don’t know when. He might have three years, or ten years.

“We all love to cook as a family and opening a cafe is a dream of ours. It also means Jonathan can work but if he gets tired and needs to go home then he can. It’s hard work, but we really enjoy it.”

She said they were offering sandwich delivery services to businesses across Darlington.

They also bought a property to renovate, which Mr Wilkinson can work on in his own time.

She added: “He still has bad days, suffering from seizures on a regular basis, so he needs something flexible.

“This time last year, we were in a huge depression, not sure if Jonathan was going to survive a week a month a year. Now with a stable scan on November, we can only live for today and make the most of all the opportunities we have. This is a very special time for us and we’re excited about the cafe.”

  • Flossy Bs is on 131 Gladstone Street, Darlington. For more information visit its Facebook page here or call 01325-954568.