Nicky Boreham, a 43-year-old father-of-three from North Shields, began experiencing headaches, memory problems and repeated seizures in 2025. Despite being taken to hospital by ambulance nine separate times, Nicky was never given a brain scan. Months later, he was diagnosed with a glioblastoma and underwent surgery to remove most of the tumour. Just 12 weeks after his diagnosis, he died surrounded by his family. Now, his sister, Kaley, is taking on the Brain Tumour Research 88 Squats in July challenge in his memory, hoping to raise awareness of brain tumours and the urgent need for greater investment in research.
Here's Nicky's story, as told by his sister, Kaley…
Nicky was one of those people who could make anyone feel welcome. Funny, caring and incredibly easy to get along with, he was the son, brother, partner, dad and friend everyone could depend on. He was a highly respected electrician and a real workaholic, but no matter how busy life became, his family always came first. He adored his partner, Racheal, and was so proud of their three boys. He loved watching Charlie and Ethan, both 24, perform with their band, taking Jesse, 12, to football training and matches, playing golf, walking his beloved dogs, Buzz and Muddy, and never missed his regular Sunday catch-up with our mam and dad.
Everything changed last year when Nicky started saying he just didn't feel right. It began with headaches and little lapses in his memory. At first, none of us thought too much of it because they didn't seem like symptoms of something so serious. But Nicky had always had an exceptional memory. He never needed to write anything down and could remember everything, so when he started forgetting things, he knew it wasn't like him.
Before long, he started having seizures. Over a short period of time, Nicky suffered nine separate seizures and was taken to Cramlington Hospital by ambulance every single time. Each time we found ourselves asking the same questions, desperate to understand what was happening to him. At that stage, a brain tumour never crossed our minds. We simply wanted someone to tell us why this healthy, hardworking man was becoming so poorly.
Despite being taken to hospital by ambulance nine separate times after suffering seizures, Nicky was never given a brain scan.
Looking back now, that's the part we struggle with the most. Time after time, we reached out for answers but felt like nobody was really listening. We knew something wasn't right, but every visit ended without the investigations we desperately hoped would provide some explanation.
Eventually, in June 2025, a consultant at the Royal Victoria Infirmary requested a scan. We thought we were finally getting somewhere, but instead another long period of uncertainty began. Nicky spent more than two months chasing his results, only to discover the consultant was on holiday. During that time, he went back to his GP looking for help and even tried to arrange a private scan himself because he was so desperate for answers. Sadly, an incorrect GP referral meant the private hospital couldn't go ahead with the appointment.
All of this was happening while Nicky was recovering from seizures and still trying to carry on working because nobody could tell him what was wrong. Looking back, I can't believe how hard he fought to keep life as normal as possible despite everything he was dealing with.
He was eventually asked to attend hospital at 9am on a Monday morning. He went on his own because he'd come straight from work and wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary. Instead, doctors told him he had a brain tumour.
Nicky said he'd never been speechless before, but hearing he had a brain tumour left him completely shocked.
The tumour was in his frontal lobe, and Nicky underwent brain surgery to remove around 85% of it because of where it was positioned. A short time later, we learned it was a glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable brain tumour. He was then referred to the Freeman Hospital to discuss radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but from that point onwards, everything changed incredibly quickly.
Despite everything he was facing, Nicky never wanted to dwell on his illness. He hated what it was doing to him and, more than anything, what it was doing to the people he loved. Rather than talking about how frightened he was, he focused all of his energy on making sure everything at home was sorted. He fixed the oven, put up new lights around the house and tried to tick off all the little jobs he thought might make life easier for Racheal and the boys.
He also made the most of every moment he had with his family. Whether it was spending time with his sons, walking Buzz and Muddy or simply enjoying being at home, those moments became incredibly precious. Watching him do those everyday things knowing what lay ahead was heartbreaking because, even then, he was thinking about everyone else before himself.
Over the following weeks, his health deteriorated rapidly. Just 12 weeks after receiving his diagnosis, he was spending most of his time asleep in a palliative care ward. We were all there with him as much as possible because we never wanted him to be alone. We truly believe he could still hear us, even though the tumour had taken over and he slept for most of the time.
Nicky spent his final week at home with Racheal, the boys and the rest of our family before passing away peacefully on 21st December.
Losing him has left an enormous hole in all of our lives, and it's something I don't think any of us will ever truly come to terms with.
What I admire most about Nicky is his strength. Even when everything around him changed, he remained focused on the people he loved. The hardest thing for me is feeling that he never truly got the chance to fight this disease. I honestly believe he could still be here today if he'd been given that chance earlier.
A significant part of Nicky's story is how overlooked he was before his diagnosis. Despite repeatedly asking for help and being taken to hospital so many times, we felt he wasn't listened to. That's something that will stay with our family forever, and it's one of the reasons I'm determined to raise awareness.
That's why I'm taking on Brain Tumour Research's 88 Squats in July Challenge. Completing it in Nicky's memory means everything to me. I still feel helpless to this day and wish there was more I could have done for him. This challenge is my way of doing something positive in his memory while helping other families who may face this devastating disease.
Glioblastoma is an awful disease, and supporting Brain Tumour Research is incredibly important to me because of how many families it affects compared with how little funding and awareness it receives.
I’m really pleased to hear that the charity is so focused on discovering personalised treatments for the disease and better outcomes for patients to give families more time together.
If I could say one thing to anyone going through a similar experience, it would be this: trust your instincts, keep pushing for answers and make as many memories as you can with the people you love. Those memories become more precious than you could ever imagine.
Kaley Boreham
July 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 Nicky’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.
