A man from Worcestershire has completed a challenging Snowdon trek in honour of his son, who died from one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of brain cancer.
Paul Hughes, 58, lost his son Ryan to a glioblastoma brain tumour. A fit and healthy rugby player, Ryan was first diagnosed with the 4cm growth at the back of his head in 2017 at the age of 27. Paul recalled: “We were in complete shock; nothing prepares you to hear that your child has a brain tumour. It felt like a TV drama; surreal and impossible to absorb. We just couldn't take it in.”
After responding well to treatment, Ryan returned to his life – he welcomed his daughter Mia in 2021 (pictured below) and married his partner Meagan in 2023. Not long after setting up his own landscaping business, Ryan’s brain cancer returned in May 2024, with limited treatment options. Ryan died at home on 12ᵗʰ December 2024, surrounded by his loving family.
Years prior, in 2019, Ryan and Paul had taken part in the Aberdovey Bike Ride in 2019 to raise funds for Brain Tumour Research. Paul said: “That was the best day of our lives doing that together, a memory I will never forget.”
Along with a team of supporters and friends, Paul joined Fundraising Group Raising4Ria to climb Wales’ highest peak, generating vital funds for the charity. Raising4Ria was formed in memory of Ria, who also died from a glioblastoma in her twenties. A close friend of Paul’s goddaughter, she endured two brain surgeries, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy in Germany, before her death in her 20s.
Raising more than £3,500 for sustainable research, Paul said of the team: “We started at eight in the morning and it took six hours to complete. It was tough, but we kept going for Ryan, Ria, and every family impacted by brain tumours.”
You can still donate to their Brain Tumour Research fundraiser and help give hope to families impacted by this devastating disease.
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