Tom Davis was just 39 when he was diagnosed with a glioblastoma on 20th January 2026. Tom, originally from Burntwood in Staffordshire, had been living and working in Canada as a coder for nearly 20 years, where he lived with his partner Heidi and their daughter, Sophia. Sadly, Tom died just nine weeks after diagnosis on 26th March 2026.
Here is Tom’s story, as told by his sister, Emma…
My brother Tom had lived in Canada for about 20 years after finishing university, but we were always really close. In the last few years, we’d actually seen more of each other, especially after our children were born.
In May 2025, Tom came over to England with his partner Heidi and their little girl, Sophia. We even went to Portugal together as a family. Looking back, that’s when we first noticed something wasn’t quite right.
Tom wasn’t well. He had chest pains, panic attacks, and just didn’t seem himself. At the time, we all thought it was stress. He had a new baby, was moving house, and had a lot going on.
While we were all on holiday in Portugal, we took him to hospital, but tests came back normal and it was put down to anxiety. When he came back to the UK, a doctor suggested he should have an MRI scan, but when he returned to Canada, it still continued to be treated as anxiety.
By November, when we visited him in Canada, things were much worse. He was struggling mentally and physically, and we spoke every day after we came home because we were worried about him.
After Christmas, Tom decided to pay for a private MRI scan. He said, "I know there’s something not right in my head."
On 21st January 2026, he got the call. There were suspicious findings, and he needed to see a neurologist.
Everything moved very quickly after that. Further scans showed a tumour on the left side of his brain, which had spread to the right side of his brain. He had surgery to remove part of it, but it was so aggressive. Within weeks, it had grown back. He had another surgery, but after that, he never really recovered.
The plan had been for him to have radiotherapy, but Tom became too unwell.
The tumour was growing so fast that doctors said treatment would only give him a short amount of extra time. Tom made the decision to go into a hospice.
We flew out to be with him. The hospice was incredible; they made him comfortable and supported all of us. Even then, we tried to make memories. He watched ice hockey, we spoke to family over video calls, and people came to visit him.
The changes were so hard to see. The tumour affected his speech, his personality, everything. It’s frightening how quickly it takes over.
Tom died on 26th March 2026. He was just 39.
He was such a full-of-life person. He loved travelling, snowboarding, food, and films. He was a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. He’d built a wonderful life in Canada, and he adored his daughter.
Losing him has been devastating. Grief isn’t something you can describe properly – it comes in waves. But sharing his story is really important to me.
I want to raise awareness, because someone else might be getting this diagnosis today. If Tom’s story encourages even one person to push for answers or helps another family feel less alone, then it matters.
That’s why I’m taking on the 200k in May Your Way challenge in aid of Brain Tumour Research – to do something positive in his memory and to help fight this awful disease.
Emma Bray
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 Tom’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.
