Glenn Pearce, a 53-year-old father of three from Colinton in Edinburgh, began experiencing memory loss, confusion and vision changes in late 2024. A CT scan at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in January 2025 revealed a grapefruit-sized mass, later diagnosed as glioblastoma, a highly aggressive and incurable brain tumour. Glenn had surgery to remove 70% of the tumour but suffered a stroke that affected his mobility and sight. After further treatment and radiotherapy, he returned home to be cared for by his family. In June 2025, more than 140 supporters completed the Seven Hills Challenge, raising more than £42,000 for Brain Tumour Research.
Here is Glenn’s story, as told by his wife Nichola…
Glenn has always been the kind of person who gives everything his full effort. Whether it was family, friendships, work or running, he approached each part of life with purpose and integrity. Professionally, he worked as an asset director at Equitix and was responsible for hospitals and schools across Scotland. This included the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. He was deeply respected in his field and known for handling complex issues with calm focus.
At home, Glenn was warm, generous and dependable. He was a long-distance runner who cared deeply about his physical health.
After losing his father to leukaemia at the age of 60, Glenn became even more committed to staying well.
He was driven not by vanity but by a desire to be present and healthy for our three children, Callum, Sophie, and Angus.
Looking back, there were signs that something wasn’t right. In hindsight, there had been occasional vomiting, high blood pressure and increasing forgetfulness. Because he travelled frequently for work, we assumed it was a stomach bug or stress. We had been focused on his heart health, as he had been mentioning pain on his left side over the past year.
Over December and into January 2025, his symptoms became more pronounced. Glenn was misplacing things, repeating himself and sometimes drifting too close to the kerb while driving. On runs, he began to trip or slow down unexpectedly. Still, he carried on. Glenn believed that if he kept up his routine, things would settle down.
By late January, it became impossible to ignore. Glenn travelled to London for meetings, where colleagues noticed changes in his appearance and behaviour. The weekend before his diagnosis, his condition quickly deteriorated. On Tuesday 28 January, having vomited the night before, he spent the day in bed exhausted. That evening, our friend and neighbour Josh, who is also a GP, came to see him and urged us to go straight to hospital.
We went to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh where a CT scan revealed a large mass, the size of a grapefruit, in Glenn’s brain.
Hearing that news was devastating. We were told it was a tumour, although we did not yet know what kind. We spent the following days waiting for additional scans and consultations. On Friday, we received the full diagnosis. Glenn had glioblastoma – an IDH-wild type tumour classified as Grade 4 and located near the brainstem.
We were presented with two options. One was to do nothing, which would have meant Glenn had only a few weeks to live. The other was surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible. Although the risks were serious, there was no real decision to make. For us, the only option was hope.
On Monday 3 February, Glenn underwent major surgery where the surgical team was able to remove around 70 percent of the tumour. While this gave us precious time, it also came with terrible consequences.
During the operation, Glenn suffered a stroke. He lost the use of the left side of his body and his vision and mobility were severely impaired.
In the weeks that followed, Glenn faced further challenges including a stay in ICU with pneumonia, before undergoing two more emergency operations. On 19 February, surgeons returned to reclose and restructure the original wound. The next night, he was taken back into theatre to insert a drain that would relieve pressure from fluid building on his brain. Both procedures took place around midnight and were deeply distressing to endure.
Even after all he has been through, Glenn remains recognisably himself. He knows who we are. His personality, humour, and warmth are still there. That, more than anything, is what we hold on to with gratitude.
After three months in hospital, Glenn was able to return home. We adapted our downstairs playroom into a bedroom with a small bathroom and created wheelchair access through the side path. He now receives four daily visits from a hospital-to-home care team, and I support him as his primary carer while also caring for our children. It is a demanding routine, but we are doing our best to create stability and comfort for Glenn, supported by the kindness of friends, neighbours and our wider community.
Glenn completed three weeks of radiotherapy at the Western General Hospital, from 24 February to 14 March. A few weeks later, a follow-up scan showed signs of improvement. His consultant described it as a positive response to treatment. Although we know there is no cure, this brought much-needed hope and reassurance at a time when we were desperate for good news.
On Saturday 14 June, over 140 people took part in the Seven Hills Challenge, a 25 kilometre walk across Edinburgh’s iconic hills held in Glenn’s honour.
The event was the brainchild of our friends Josh, Alan and Mark, who wanted to raise funds for Brain Tumour Research while showing solidarity with our family.
What began as a small idea quickly grew into something extraordinary. Despite heavy rain, the turnout was incredible, and the energy was full of warmth and support. Together, the walkers raised more than £42,000, enough to fund 15 full days of research at the new Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence.
That day brought our entire community together. It showed our children just how deeply their father is loved and respected. It lifted us and gave us strength at a time when we needed it most.
We never thought this would be our story, but it is. Now we are determined that some good will come from it.
Brain tumours are indiscriminate. Glenn was healthy, active and doing everything right. None of us ever imagined that cancer would affect our lives like this. But now that it has, we are determined to make a difference. We want to raise awareness, we want more funding, and most of all, we want hope for families like ours in the future.
Nichola Pearce
July 2025
One in three people in the UK knows someone affected by a brain tumour. This disease is indiscriminate; it can affect anyone at any age. What’s more, brain tumours continue to kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet, to date, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.
Brain Tumour Research is determined to change this.
If you have been inspired by Glenn’s story, you may like to make a donation via www.braintumourresearch.org/donate or leave a gift in your will via www.braintumourresearch.org/legacy
Together we will find a cure.
