A Shropshire man whose deadly brain tumour was discovered after he blacked out whilst driving home from work has inspired his widow to take on a charity skydive.
Jill Blakemore, 68, is taking part in our Jump For Hope challenge to help find a cure for the disease in memory of her late-husband, Chris.
A facilities manager, Chris was hospitalised after driving the wrong way around a roundabout and crashing into a parked lorry in September 2016. He was subsequently diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM), the size of a golf-ball and given just months to live.
Jill and Chris were together for 48 years, after first meeting when they were just 14 and 16. Jill said: “We were absolutely shattered. It was like a bomb had hit us. The neurosurgeon explained that Chris would have an operation to remove the cancer from his brain to extend his life.”
Chris had a six-hour operation followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment. Despite also taking part in a trial using repurposed drugs to fight the disease, it was too aggressive and he died in March 2018, aged 64.
Jill, who has already raised more than £1,400 for Brain Tumour Research, is preparing to take off from Tilstock Airfield in Whitchurch on Saturday 8th June for her 10,000ft skydive.
She said: “I’ve had to lose 1st 8lbs in six months to be able to do the challenge. I realised I was comfort eating and now don’t eat in the evenings. I changed the sizes of my portions too and that’s helped me shift the weight.
“The loss that my family and I have had to endure, and also the fact that so many more young people are dying of this, means I feel very strongly about supporting Brain Tumour Research.
“If Chris was still alive he would take on this challenge with me and encourage me to ‘go for it!’ So I am doing this challenge in memory of my wonderful husband and best friend.”
To donate to Brain Tumour Research via Jill’s fundraiser, please visit: www.justgiving.com/page/jill-blakemore-1704884187838
You can help fund the fight to find a cure by taking part in a Jump for Hope at a location near you. Click here to find out more.
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