John Lilley was looking forward to retirement and going on a world cruise with his wife, Alison, who he first met when they were 19 and 18 respectively. Tragically, he was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) in 2019 after suffering a seizure and underwent a craniotomy, as well as radiotherapy and chemotherapy. When the tumour returned John had further chemotherapy and multiple blood transfusions, but nothing could save him and he passed away on 7 May 2023, aged 61.
His family, including his daughter Charlotte and wife Alison, has set up John’s Crew to build a legacy for John who wrote in a blog about his brain tumour journey: “We have seen in a generation, the prognosis for patients with breast cancer and leukaemia turned on its head from investment in research, but we haven’t seen that for brain tumour patients. It’s clear that more needs to be done for people like me who are diagnosed with this devastating disease to bring hope, rather than despair, to our loved ones.”
To donate to John’s Crew go to https://justgiving.com/fundraising/johnsarmy2023