Today, we hold in our hearts the loved ones of Mike Scott, the inspiration for our Fundraising Group Mike’s Milers, as they face the fifth anniversary of his passing from an incurable brain tumour.
His wife Mary said: “I can’t believe it’s five years since Mike died and although I’ve moved forward – there’s no choice – there isn’t a day that I don’t think of him. There isn’t a day that I don’t miss him.”
Husband and father Mike (pictured above) was diagnosed with a glioblastoma in 2019 and died nine months later in June 2020, aged 69, despite standard treatment and immunotherapy. It led Mary to donate £1 million, the largest single donation in our history, which helped bring forward the Charity’s plans to open its fourth Centre of Excellence at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London in September 2023.
Researchers at ICR, under the leadership of Professor Chris Jones (pictured below with Mary), are focusing on identifying new treatments for paediatric high-grade glioma brain tumours in children and young adults, which have a devastatingly short average survival time of just nine to 12 months.
At the opening of our Centre at ICR, Mary said: “I count myself very fortunate to be able to make this substantial donation. Mike adored children so it’s especially fitting that this new Centre will focus on finding a cure for high-grade tumours in children. To think of those poor parents whose children are affected by brain tumours is absolutely dreadful.
“My hope is that, with this legacy, Mike’s death won’t have been in vain, that his name will live on and that the money will go some way towards finding a cure.”
If Mike and Mary’s story has inspired you, make a donation giving your reason as Mike’s Milers.
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