On Wednesday, a group of incredible supporters visited the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at Queen Mary University of London after raising enough to fund at least one day of research, including the Bicker-Caarten family (pictured above left) and the Cutler family (above right) who both lost a loving husband and father.
The Centre is dedicated to developing personalised treatments for adult glioblastoma patients and gentler therapies for childhood brain tumours, including medulloblastoma and ependymoma.
Among the visitors was Chris Pearcey, who has raised more than £9,000 to date for Brain Tumour Research in memory of his wife Rita (below left). Rita died from a glioblastoma in July 2017, just 15 months after her diagnosis, at the age of 67.
Chris said: "I was shocked at how quickly Rita’s illness initially progressed. It opened my eyes as to how devastating a brain tumour can be, which is why I’m so determined to help raise money."
As well as touring the labs, supporters visited the Wall of Hope to place tiles for each day they have funded, which equates to £2,740. There were 14 tiles placed in memory of Paul Balch (above right) by Paul's widow Sharon, as well as their adult children Grace, Max and Imogen. Paul, a firefighter, died of a glioblastoma in 2021 at 51. His family have since raised more than £38,000 to date through challenges such as a Walk of Hope in Chichester in 2023.
Imogen, 25, said: “Dad was very popular and loved by so many. He would be so grateful to everyone who has donated. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping to keep Dad’s legacy and memory alive.
"It means so much to us. Raising money for Brain Tumour Research is important to us because of everything Dad went through after his diagnosis.”
Also among them was Matt Shanley (above), who has supported the charity Brain Tumour Research since his diagnosis with a rare subependymoma in 2018, aged 44.
A postman diagnosed with vertigo before learning he had a brain tumour, Matt underwent brain surgery to save his life, but it left him sight-impaired and with other life-changing conditions including fatigue, memory problems and seizures. Along with his wife Julie, Matt has raised more than £13,000 through a variety of fundraisers. Julie said: “It was emotional seeing the four tiles dedicated to Matt on the Wall of Hope.
"The side effects of his brain tumour will stay with him for the rest of his life – so much funding seems to go into researching other forms of cancer, while brain tumours lag so far behind.”
After placing the tiles and taking a tour, the supporters also heard from Dr Tom Millner (above). His talk included details about a game-changing study announced last month, bringing hope for patients with recurrent glioblastoma. This pioneering new technique has been able to accurately replicate how glioblastoma tumours recur and evolve after treatment.
Professor Marino, Director of the Centre, said: “This innovative approach not only furthers our understanding of the biology of glioblastoma recurrence but also opens the door to personalised medicine. By analysing the genetic and molecular changes in the recurrent tumours, researchers may be able to identify patient-specific vulnerabilities. This means that in the future, treatments could be tailored to the unique characteristics of each patient's recurrent tumour, improving the chances of successful treatments when first-line therapy has failed.”
Earlier this year in March, Brain Tumour Awareness Month, Brain Tumour Research announced a £2.5m funding boost for Queen Mary as the Charity celebrated 15 years of research. Click here to find out how to sponsor a day of research and ensure the research we fund remains sustainable.
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