Proud grandfather-of-one, Keith from Flitwick, died in December 2024, a year after he was diagnosed with a glioblastoma. He was 70. After collapsing whilst on a dog walk after a suspected stroke, the much-loved retired headteacher was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He had two operations, radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment; however, the cancer was too aggressive. His family is sharing Keith’s story to help highlight the need for more investment in research into brain tumours.
Here is Keith’s story, as told by his son, Matt…
Dad had a huge impact on people’s lives, mine included. He was a hugely popular headteacher with staff and pupils at Priory in Dunstable. On his retirement in 2013, the school named an award after him and this year, have asked me to present it to the winner.
Even after he stopped working, he was never one to sit still and helped me set up my own garage, often coming to work with me during the day and spending time with my daughter, Maya who is three, in the evenings and weekends.
Dad had none of the early warning signs that some brain tumour patients speak about.
The week before he had his fall, he had a little bit of memory loss which we thought could be signs of dementia. He went to the GP and the next week was due to have follow up tests. However, the day after the GP appointment, he was out walking the dog when he fell over. He managed to walk home and told Mum what happened, she thought he had a stroke as his ability to communicate was poor and eventually ceased. She drove them to Luton and Dunstable University Hospital where he had a scan and was then transferred to Queen’s Square Hospital in London.
He had emergency surgery to debulk the tumour, without it, we were told Dad would die.
The following day, he was sitting up, feeding himself and talking again.
Weeks later, we found out the tumour was a grade 4 glioblastoma and about as bad as a brain tumour diagnosis could get. You could tell this by the way the team told us.
I’d already looked up brain tumours and had an idea of the different types. When they said what Dad had, I knew it wasn’t good. Me, Mum, and Dad had a meeting at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, where the medical team went into more detail, explaining that Dad had nine to 12 months, even after the surgery.
It was difficult to hear but I’d somewhat prepared for this news.
Seeing the reaction of my parents was harder and for my dad, I think it took a couple of days to really sink in.
Immediately following his first operation, Dad had chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He was positive and hopeful that he might be in the small percentage of people who survive longer than their prognosis and even managed a trip to Portugal.
After three months of treatment, a scan showed his tumour had regrown. He went back to Queen’s for another operation in May 2024.
Unable to have any more radiotherapy, Dad was put on a different type of chemo, the first type was temozolomide (TMZ) and this time they tried him with lomustine. For another three months, alongside chemo he transformed his diet by eating organic foods, trying a holistic approach to fighting the disease alongside NHS conventions.
In October, we found out the tumour had grown again, and a third operation wasn’t possible. He deteriorated quickly ruling out the possibility of any medicines.
For five days, the study of the family home became a temporary bedroom for Dad until he died in December 2024.
The type and placement of Dad’s tumour meant that we mourned him before he was physically gone. What he had was savage. In the three months before he died, his memory was bad, and he became easily confused between day and nighttime.
He wanted to live and was keen to be part of any trial and medical breakthrough, anything he could do to help people in the future, he wanted to try. He instilled this in the whole family, and we all feel strongly about driving funding towards research into brain tumours.
Dad was instrumental in helping me establish my garage business, Autowerx, helping to get it off the ground, willing me to succeed.
He loved his cars and, after having to hand in his driving licence because of his brain tumour, I’m now looking after his beloved BMW Z4m Roadster.
To mark his birthday, on 27 April, I’ll be holding a car show event at my garage in Milton Keynes to celebrate what would have been his 71st birthday, at the same time raising money for Brain Tumour Research.
I hope this will be the first of a lifelong fundraising campaign in my dad’s name. Until there’s a cure for all types of brain tumours, our family will continue to help raise awareness of the disease, with the enthusiasm and determination of Dad.
Matt Scotchford
April 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 Keith’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