Damian Colman, 48, from Harrogate, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer, after experiencing seizures in 2016. Over the following two years, he underwent two brain surgeries to remove the tumour, alongside radiotherapy at Leeds Teaching Hospitals and chemotherapy tablets taken at home, before sadly dying on 25 September 2018. Inspired by his dad’s strength and outlook on life, his son Rafe, now 20 and studying at the University of York, is running around 800 miles from John o’ Groats to Land’s End to raise funds for Brain Tumour Research.
Here is Damian’s story, as told by his son, Rafe…
Dad was one of those people who left a big impression on everyone he met. He was incredibly intelligent, creative and thoughtful, but he was also someone who could make people laugh easily. He read constantly, loved music and played the guitar. For as long as I can remember, he had this larger-than-life presence. Even when things were difficult, he found a way to keep going and bring people with him.
Dad worked as a theatre director, but his work wasn’t typical theatre. He ran projects with people experiencing homelessness, teaching them how to act and sometimes even how to read and write. He would help them perform in his own plays, giving them a sense of confidence and purpose that many of them had never experienced before.
Looking back now, that tells you everything about the kind of person he was. Dad believed in people and wanted to help them find something positive in themselves.
When I was about 10 years old, I started to notice that something wasn’t quite right with Dad.
One morning I woke up for school and realised he was still in bed. At first, I thought he must just have a cold or the flu. But then it kept happening. For several days he was barely getting up, only managing an hour or two out of bed each day.
Eventually I told my mum that Dad seemed really unwell. Around the same time, my nan had come to pick him up and take him somewhere. We stopped at a petrol station, and as Dad got out of the car, he suddenly collapsed and had a seizure. It was terrifying, although at the time I didn’t fully understand what was happening.
He was taken to hospital and later referred to Leeds Teaching Hospitals, where further scans revealed the cause: Dad had a glioblastoma – an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer. Everything changed from that moment.
Dad underwent two brain surgeries to remove the tumour and began treatment at Leeds Teaching Hospitals.
He also had radiotherapy at Leeds and chemotherapy tablets taken at home. The treatment was difficult, especially the chemotherapy, but Dad faced it with the same determination he approached everything else in life. Despite everything he was going through, he tried to keep life as normal as possible for me.
One of my favourite memories from that time was when we travelled to Greece together. It was one of the few times we went abroad, and I remember sitting with him on a pier by the sea eating ice cream. I can’t remember exactly what we talked about, but I remember how safe and loved I felt in that moment. Even though we knew Dad was ill, we still found ways to enjoy life together.
During his illness, Dad started writing a book for me, which I didn’t know existed until my 18th birthday.
He worked on it throughout his diagnosis, pouring his thoughts and memories into its pages. The book included stories from his life, reflections on what he had learned, and messages he wanted me to carry with me as I grew older and after he was gone.
When I was given it, I started reading straight away. I didn’t make it to the bottom of the first page before I burst into tears. It was clearly written for me when I was still a child and, reading it years later, felt like hearing Dad speak to me again.
That book changed the way I see life.
Before then, I had been quite pessimistic about things. But reading his words and understanding what he wanted for me made me realise how important it is to stay positive and make the most of every opportunity.
Dad died on 25 September 2018, two years after his first seizure.
Losing him was incredibly hard, but his influence has never really left me. In many ways, the lessons he wrote in that book continue to guide me every day.
When I decided to run a marathon at 18 to raise money for Brain Tumour Research, it was the first time I had spoken publicly about losing my dad. The support I received from people was overwhelming.
Since then, fundraising has become something that is really important to me.
Now I’m preparing for my biggest challenge yet: running around 874 miles from John o’ Groats to Land’s End.
It’s going to take months of training and determination, but the motivation behind it is simple. This is about honouring Dad’s legacy.
He faced his diagnosis with courage and never let it stop him from living life or helping other people. If I can push myself to take on this challenge and raise money that might help researchers find better treatments for brain tumours, then it feels like the least I can do.
I just hope that, wherever he is, Dad would be proud.
Rafe Colman-Chadwick
April 2026
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 touched by Damian’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.
