A KING'S Somborne student is hoping an American brain surgeon can save her life. But first, Meg Jones mother, Helen Bulbeck, has to raise £50,000 to pay for the specialist operation to remove the tumour on her daughter's brain.

And Helen's set up the charity, Brains Trust, to do it.

Meg, 20, was diagnosed with the tumour in October 2004 and only two hospitals world-wide - one in the United States and the other in Hanover - offer the state-of-the-art technology and surgery required to remove deep rooted non-aggressive brain tumours like hers.

Neurosurgeon, Professor Peter Maclaren Black, from the Harvard Medical School will perform Meg's life-saving intraoperative MRI brain surgery in May or June next year. This technique will allow Professor Black to obtain real-time images as he carries out the delicate procedure.

"It's a low-grade tumour and for Meg it's like a time bomb ticking away. If it does flare-up it will be a completely different ball game for her and us," said Helen, adding that at one stage it was touch and go whether Meg would go to Warwick University to study art.

"Professor Black was reassuring about a successful outcome. He is 85 per cent certain that the lesion is a tumour and feels that the tumour is in 'leopard country, not tiger country' i.e it is not difficult to remove as it has been suggested in the UK. If Meg's tumour was elsewhere, he would twist her arm to have it removed. It is ok to leave it for the time being, but it is 'highly probable' that it will change from being low grade to high grade and therefore it is 'highly probable' that at some point in the future Meg will need surgery to remove it. Once it changes, it will become more difficult to remove and becomes a different scenario. It is easier to remove it whilst it is smaller," added Helen who met the American brain surgeon in February.

Helen said whatever happens Meg would have her operation. "Whether we raise the money or not, Meg will have the operation," said Helen. Israeli Rabbi Firer put Helen and her husband Peter in touch with the American surgeon.

"He matches patients with surgeons all over the world," said Meg's mum, adding that her daughter had to take a cocktail of drugs - about nine daily - and undergo two MRI scans a year to keep check on the tumour and the symptoms under control.

Despite her illness, Meg who loves the theatre and singing, continues with her university degree. Meg suffers short-term memory loss and cannot go out alone. "She has a huge range of symptoms and sleeps in the afternoon. Before Meg was diagnosed, she crashed her car on the Ampfield to Hursley Road. She probably blacked out and this was the first indication that something was wrong," added Helen.

A charity fundraiser was held at Winchester's Los Amigos Restaurant on Tuesday and Helen hopes Brains Trust will give support to other young people in similar situations to Meg.

Anyone who would like to find out more about the charity can visit www.brainstrust.org.uk