When Richard Preston was diagnosed with a glioblastoma in 2013, he was told he could have as little as two years to live. Remarkably, Richard lived for 12 years with the tumour, and in that time he married his long-term partner, Wendy, travelled the world and worked closely with Brain Tumour Research, sharing his story to raise awareness and supporting our campaigns.
Sadly Richard passed away in August 2025, aged 56. Wendy shares how a tribute page set up in Richard’s memory has provided family and friends with a meaningful way to remember him and continue his legacy.
When Richard first received his diagnosis, we were told he’d only live for one or two years. It was difficult to process this news. We were in our forties; we didn’t have wills or anything in place. Richard’s reaction was “let’s get married to make things easier with paperwork when I die!” We wanted a wedding to get family and friends together and enjoy a happy celebration before he passed away. After planning everything in just two and half months, we had a lovely day followed by a long honeymoon cruise along the Mediterranean to just live life to the fullest.
Richard and Wendy in New Zealand on the set of The Lord of the Rings
We had conversations about what kind of funeral he’d want and visited the local burial site. But every year when he had a scan, the results came back clear. Somehow the tumour wasn’t growing or affecting him as expected, so we kept going on holidays thinking that each one could be the last. We didn’t want to have regrets, we wanted to make memories.
Ten years later his symptoms worsened and he started to lose his mobility and speech. It was hard to accept because we’d been living with false hope and now realised we hadn’t beaten his cancer.
An occupational therapist came over and spoke to us about installing a hospital bed and equipment at home. This felt unbearable. We wanted to have a care home for his end-of-life care. These conversations made talking about death easier. We had been fundraising for Brain Tumour Research and had gotten involved in lots of activities to bring attention to this disease.
Richard supporting a Christmas event
Richard had never really been keen on flowers; he wanted just one floral arrangement at his funeral and for everyone to give donations to Brain Tumour Research. This felt right for him after his cancer experience.
A while later, I found out about tribute pages; an online space for family and friends to post messages in memory of loved ones. A page was created for Richard, and I was really moved by what people shared. Richard worked in IT and his colleagues took the time to write, saying things such as:
“I remember Richard as a kind and gentle soul with a heart of gold, and we used to have endless chats across the desk divide about all sorts of niff-naff and trivia. A man who never said a bad word. May you rest in peace.”
“Lovely Richard, aka DATA. You were a unique gentleman with an unshakable, positive outlook on life, reflected in your light-hearted sense of humour and huge hearty laugh.”
These words described Richard exactly as he was. He always went above and beyond, he wasn’t a stereotypical serious IT person, and this is evident in the messages left by his colleagues. He was the same with everyone, just genuine. It made me think of our first date when he made me laugh so much. One of the things that attracted me to him was his humour, so seeing how he brought laughter to others makes me smile.
Richard with his dad, daughter and granddaughter
I don’t talk to him when I visit his grave. Having something in words works better for me. This tribute page means I can write messages which feels more meaningful to me. While it can be painful to read messages from family and friends, it’s also cathartic. I put a photo of a candle up on the page for his birthday and when I particularly miss him, it’s nice to have a place to go back to and read messages. It’s a permanent reminder of his life.
To read more of Richard’s story, click here.
Donating in memory of a loved one can be a powerful way to commemorate their life and continue their legacy.
From creating a tribute page to collecting at a funeral or memorial service, there are lots of ways to leave a lasting impact and transform outcomes for the brain tumour community. Click here to choose an option that feels right for you.
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