A man whose mum was at first suspected of having long COVID before being diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM), has completed the Royal Parks Half Marathon in aid of Brain Tumour Research.
Andrew Piddington finished the race, which took place last Sunday (13th October), in 2 hours and 57 minutes, raising more than £1,800 for the Charity. Andrew was inspired to take part in the run after his mum, Yvonne Piddington, 74, from Hertford, received her devastating diagnosis.
After contracting COVID in December 2023, Yvonne was still suffering with headaches and tiredness a month later and began to show signs of increasing confusion. Andrew, 45, from Croydon, and his sister, Rachel, at first suspected a stroke, alerting their father, Peter. Rushed to hospital in an ambulance, a scan revealed a large tumour pressing on Yvonne’s brain’s frontal lobe.
Yvonne, who previously worked at HSBC in its head office, has undergone debulking surgery, followed by gruelling rounds of radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment to stabilise the tumour – although it remains incurable.
Andrew and his family were warned that the average survival time for GBM patients is heartbreakingly short and were left floundering and in disbelief at the lack of funding invested into researching the disease. Andrew, who works as a bus driver, felt compelled to help change the outcome for families like theirs in the future and to advocate for change.
Andrew said: “The run was an incredible challenge to be part of and the number of spectators took me by surprise. My mum was amongst the crowd, too. She was the one who inspired me to do this and gave me the encouragement and belief that I could. Hugging her at the end was very emotional – seeing her standing there waiting at the finish line was fantastic. It was an unforgettable experience, and I’ve raised a huge amount of money for Brain Tumour Research.”
You can aid Andrew’s efforts by donating to us via his GoFundMe page here. Or discover more ways that you can help contribute to our cause here.
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Published Wednesday 16th October 2024.