Martin Davies, a retired Naval Officer from Plymouth, was 63 when he died of a glioblastoma. Following a series of falls, concerned wife Helen knew something was wrong when she suggested a trip to the doctor, unable to get an appointment Martin was taken straight to A&E. An MRI scan revealed three tumours, two of which were inoperable. Martin had combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment. However, the cancer was too aggressive, and he died on 12ᵗʰ February 2024. Martin’s brave battle with brain cancer has inspired Helen to fundraise to help find a cure for the devastating disease.
Here is Martin's story, as told by his wife Helen…
In February 2023, my life changed forever. Martin, a Chief Petty Officer, had retired from the British navy after serving for 25 years. As far as we knew Martin was in excellent health, until he began falling over. It was a worrying sign that something was wrong, so I suggested we visit the doctor. Within days, doctors confirmed that Martin had a glioblastoma, there were three tumours on his brain, two of which were inoperable. The prognosis was grim: Martin was given just three to ten months to live if he survived the initial treatment.
My life was shattered, I faced the reality that the vibrant, active man I knew would soon be taken from me. In that moment everything stopped, and it felt icy cold. Neither of us could take it in.
This sort of thing happened to other people not you. But despite the harsh news, Martin showed incredible strength and resilience, he took the diagnosis in his stride.
Because Martin was in good health the consultant decided to throw caution to the wind and give Martin six weeks' worth of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in three weeks. We knew it would be hard going but we were willing to try anything that would prolong his life.
Over the following weeks, Martin underwent aggressive treatment, which temporarily halted the growth of the larger tumour. However, the two smaller tumours grew and eventually merged, forcing a switch to a different chemotherapy regimen.
You could see the effect the treatment was having on him. He kept getting up and wandering off in the hospital and was once found in the corridor looking for the dog. It all became very strange, and I was concerned about his safety before he came home.
I got door alarms fitted to the house in the fear Martin might wonder and get lost. Then he was given very strong steroids, and the Martin I knew came back for a short while.
Very slowly changes started to happen, Martin was no longer able to take a walk round the block. Instead we would also sit on the beach and have an ice cream and would try to go out once a week for a meal. Slowly that started to get harder for him.
As Martin’s health declined, he became increasingly frail, eventually our home started to fill with mobility aids and eventually a wheelchair. Still, his spirit remained unbroken.
Even during his final months, Martin’s love for life and his family was evident. One of his most cherished traditions was baking a Christmas cake every year, and despite his condition, he was determined to carry on this tradition. It took him a week, but he did it although, as his memory began to fade, he kept adding more alcohol to the cake each day, making it the most alcoholic Christmas cake imaginable!
Martin didn't once complain, saying it is what it is and everything will be fine. He didn't once say how unfair it was, he just took each day as it came.
One day, Martin was in unbearable pain and asked for more painkillers. I told him he had already received the maximum dose of morphine, his only response was, “That’s a shame. Nevermind”.
After Martin’s retirement, he embarked on a personal journey to walk Hadrian’s Wall an 84-mile stretch of ancient Roman fortifications. Whilst caring for him I found his journal and would read it to him. Martin gradually got worse and could no longer talk but the nurses said that he could still hear me. As I read his journal to him, he would give me a slight nod or squeeze my hand.
On 12ᵗʰ February 2024, Martin died at the age of 63.
Life has changed for me, the days became harder without Martin, so now I volunteer and raise money for brain tumour research through craft fairs crocheting key rings and teddy bears.
Every day for those twelve extra months we lived life to the full. Even when Martin couldn’t move, we’d take the car up to the cliff and have an ice cream. That became our special trip out. Martin had so much left to give.
He was such a wonderful man. I’m determined to keep his memory alive by raising awareness and funds for the research that could one day save lives.
On 7ᵗʰ April 2025, I walked in Martin's footsteps and did a seven-day trek across Hadrian’s Wall, joined by my close friend Ann Marie. I’m pleased people have donated, and we have raised more than £3,000 the equivalent to one day's vital research. Funding and research are essential. Brain tumours come out of nowhere. It’s terminal for most people, and it’s devastating. The research is so underfunded, and it needs to change.
Helen Davies
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 Martin’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.