Jason Dullaghan, a devoted dad-of-five from Chorley in Lancashire, began experiencing vision problems in 2016. A private MRI revealed a stage 4 brain stem glioma, an aggressive and inoperable tumour with a prognosis of just six to 24 months. Although he experienced complications with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Jason made significant lifestyle changes which improved his condition, living for seven more years. However, in 2022, a second tumour developed, and his health declined. Jason died in July 2024, aged 54, with his loving family by his side.
Here is Jason’s story, as told by his wife, Alison…
Jason was the love of my life. He was calm, kind, and endlessly devoted to our family. He was also incredibly driven. He started working in drainage as a teenager and worked his way up to become a project manager. His last job, which he was so proud of, was with United Utilities. That role meant the world to him because it was the career he had always wanted.
We built a busy and happy life together in Irlam, Manchester, before moving to Chorley in 2020 with our children, Emily, 13, and George, 8. Jason also had three older children from previous relationships: Danny and Justin, his twin boys, 38, and his daughter Chloe, 28. Our family was everything to him.
In late 2016, our world turned upside down.
Jason began experiencing problems with his vision. We assumed it was stress as he had a demanding job, and I was heavily pregnant with our son, George. The GP prescribed antihistamines, but nothing improved. After multiple visits, Jason was told he’d need an MRI scan, but the wait on the NHS was over nine weeks. Thankfully, he had private health cover through work, so we arranged a scan at Spire Manchester.
He went alone because I had just given birth, but I knew something was wrong when he didn’t ring straight away. When he finally did, he told me they had found something on his brain. We were referred to Salford Royal and The Christie in Manchester, where Jason was diagnosed with a stage 4 glioma on his brain stem. The tumour was inoperable, and he was given a prognosis of just six to 24 months.
I had a newborn baby in my arms, and I was being told the man I loved, our children's father, was dying.
The shock of this new reality threw me. I had recently given birth so my emotions were everywhere, and the diagnosis had come just before my birthday. Although we knew the seriousness of the situation, Jason and I were determined that this wouldn’t break us and we’d fight this for our family.
Jason began treatment at Salford Royal and The Christie. He was offered a six-week course of radiotherapy alongside chemotherapy, but after just two days of taking the chemo tablets, he became critically ill and was rushed to hospital. The doctors immediately stopped the chemotherapy. Radiotherapy continued, but it took its toll. Jason was so weak he couldn’t climb the stairs. We relied on my parents for help, and we were thrown into a world we knew nothing about.
Despite everything, Jason remained positive. He fought through personality changes, infections, and even pneumonia. One of the scariest moments came when we learned he was silently aspirating, meaning food and drink were entering his lungs instead of his stomach, and he ended up in intensive care. He had to relearn how to walk and we feared losing him so many times.
But Jason fought back. Against all odds, he returned to work part-time and gradually increased his hours. Between 2019 and 2022, his tumour stabilised and even shrank. His diagnosis changed from grade 4 to grade 1. He went vegan, took CBD oil daily, and focused on clean eating. Those were good years. We had birthdays, holidays, and a sense of normality we hadn’t thought possible.
In October 2022, during a routine scan at The Christie, a second tumour was discovered on Jason’s temporal lobe.
He’d gone to the appointment with his brother, and I knew something was wrong when he didn’t call for hours. When he finally did, he told me the news, and our hearts broke all over again.
Jason was devastated to be told he could no longer drive. It was another loss of independence. He also had to stop working, and that really affected him. The doctors offered chemotherapy again, but Jason remembered how sick it had made him before and decided against it.
By late 2023, Jason’s health began to deteriorate. He became more unsteady, confused, and withdrawn. In November, he suffered a massive seizure at home and never fully recovered. After a hospital stay, he was transferred to a care home near Moor Park in Preston. It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made, but we could no longer care for him safely at home.
Jason spent his final months there. He couldn’t walk without a frame or eat solid food. He became more confused and less like himself. I visited him every day. Our children visited regularly too, but it was difficult. He was no longer the dad they remembered.
On 9ᵗʰ July 2024, at the age of 54, Jason, the love of my life, died with me and our family by his side.
Jason was not supposed to live beyond two years, but he did. He saw George grow up. He gave all five kids a few more years of memories. I will be forever grateful for that and I will never forget the strength he showed every single day for seven long years.
To honour Jason’s memory, Danny organised a memorial fishing competition at Moss Farm Fisheries in Irlam. Over 80 anglers took part and raised £795 for Brain Tumour Research. It was incredible to see how many lives Jason had touched.
On 7ᵗʰ June 2025, I’ll be taking part in a 5K Race for Life at Moor Park, joined by our children and close friends. We’ve set up a JustGiving page to raise vital funds for this wonderful charity as research in brain tumours continues to be so underfunded. We urgently need more research, better treatments, and real hope for the future.
Jason’s journey was filled with pain and fear, but it was also filled with love, determination, and hope. To anyone facing this kind of diagnosis, please know that a prognosis is not always the end. Jason’s life is proof that there can be more time than you expect.
We miss him every day, and we always will. But we will keep fighting. For Jason, and for every family like ours.
Alison Saul-Dullaghan
May 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 touched by Jason's story, you may like to make a donation via https://braintumourresearch.org/donate or leave a gift in your will via www.braintumourresearch.org/legacy.
Together we will find a cure.