Mick Bradley, 63, from Mansfield, died from a glioblastoma (GBM) in September 2023. A year before, he suddenly became unwell and was taken to hospital where a scan revealed he had two tumours on his brain. Mick, dad to Amy and Megan, underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He stopped treatment in January 2023. Amy and Megan are now aiming to raise £10,000 for Brain Tumour Research.
Here is Mick’s story as told by his daughter Amy…
Dad was a wonderful man who would do anything for anybody. He was an electrician and loved his job.
On 21 September 2022, Dad became unwell while answering the door to one of his friends. He would normally be very welcoming, but this time he was quite abrupt.
“Dad suddenly had a chronic headache, and he was violently vomiting. It was so sudden, like someone just flipped a switch. He’d never had anything like that before.”
Dad was taken to accident and emergency at Chesterfield Royal Hospital. The doctors originally thought he had meningitis or sepsis, but an MRI scan revealed he had tumours on the right-side of his brain.
Dad was referred to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield. He had a biopsy on 7 October, two days before his birthday. The consultant told us that Dad had a glioblastoma (GBM) and he only had 12 to 18 months to live, if he had treatment.
“It was devastating. I felt sick and thought ‘what has my dad done to deserve this?’ It was awful; what the scan found was destroying and debilitating and I wanted the treatment to begin right away.”
My Uncle Dave who was my dad’s brother also had a GBM and he died within 10 months of being diagnosed when he was 64 in 2016.
Dad underwent a six-week course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy at the Weston Park Cancer Centre in Sheffield. We asked if the treatment could be done so that Dad would be off it for Christmas. It started on 17 November and ended on 21 December, so we were thankful for that.
Dad absolutely smashed the treatment. He lost some hair, was nauseous, and slept a lot more but he still had a smile on his face. He would say that there are others who don’t get to live as much life as him.
“He named his tumour Trevor. Dad needed to laugh; this was how he dealt with it, and we had to adopt that way of thinking. It helped us all.”
Christmas 2022 wasn’t the sort of Christmas we were all used to. Dad was sleeping a lot, he’d gone from being a hands-on active guy to someone who was really frail and exhausted, but it was the best Christmas we could have hoped for.
On 3 January 2023, Dad was being sick and had severe pain in his right-hand side. He was admitted to Chesterfield Royal Hospital where doctors found he had a pulmonary embolism.
Dad was no longer having chemotherapy but was trying an alternative therapy in the form of cannabis oil. We later found that, after prolonged use, one of his tumours had shrunk. Although ethically professionals can’t advocate for the use of this, nor is there any evidence in supporting this course of treatment, we found that this helped alleviate his symptoms.
Chemotherapy and radiation are so intense and come with awful side effects, hence the importance of our fundraising efforts and raising awareness in the hope that one day this course of treatment is another option. Dad stopped treatment in January 2023 and died on 17 September 2023 from sepsis, which was caused by an enlarged prostate. The brain cancer was the secondary cause of death.
“GBMs are one of the most devastating forms of cancer, so why is so little known about them? We’re on a mission to fund research so better treatments and a cure can be found.”
My sister Megan and I plan to raise £10,000 for Brain Tumour Research. We have taken part in various fundraising events such as Wear A Hat Day, 10,000 Steps A Day in February and the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge.
“Taking part in these events was an incredible feeling knowing that we are making such a difference following the huge support from our local community and small businesses.”
Cygnet Health Care, where we both work, was fantastic and supportive, allowing us to support Dad through flexible working hours. Cygnet also held a family fundraising day as part of Wear A Hat Day at Shirebrook cricket club, and Amy’s manager, Samantha Armstrong, sat in a bath of baked beans for three hours to raise funds.
We are so grateful to the small businesses and everyone in our local community who have pulled together to support us. Without them, we would not have the fight in us that we do today. We wanted to channel our emotions and turn them into something meaningful because raising money and awareness is so important.
“My dad had no warning, just boom and he suddenly had cancer.”
Something has got to change, and the Government needs to do more to combat this devastating disease.
In November 2023, Mum, Megan and I visited the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at Queen Mary University London.
“It was a fantastic eye-opening experience from start to finish and we felt extremely honoured and proud to be there.”
Ultimately when fundraising you always have a brief idea as to what happens behind the scenes but actually getting to see this in person was incredible. Seeing the professionals at work in the lab, knowing that the endless efforts of fundraisers and supporters are in the hands of these fantastic and driven professionals whose aim is to find a cure, gave my family and I peace of mind knowing the fight for a cure is far bigger than you could imagine
Amy Bradley
June 2024
Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. What’s more, they kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer... yet historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.
Brain Tumour Research is determined to change this.
If you have been touched by Mick’s story, you may like to make a donation via www.braintumourresearch.org/donation/donate-now or leave a gift in your will via www.braintumourresearch.org/legacy
Together we will find a cure.