Today we are marking the fifth anniversary of the death of Gemma Edgar and thinking of all those who grieve for her.
A former paediatric nurse, Gemma died, aged 33, from a glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumour, leaving her two sons Dylan, six, and four-year-old Noah without their devoted mum.
Gemma had been diagnosed four years earlier, just weeks after giving birth to Noah who went on to endure his own battle with retinoblastoma – a form of eye cancer.
A dedicated charity supporter, along with her family, Gemma visited our Centres of Excellence at Imperial College and Queen Mary University of London to tour the labs, talk to the researchers and place tiles on the Wall of Hope, having raised more than £27,000 to help find a cure.
In March 2018, the year she died, Gemma attended a Wear A Hat Day event at our head office in Milton Keynes where she met businesswoman, supermodel and brain tumour survivor Caprice Bourret, a charity Patron. The two women bonded over their shared diagnoses, but also because they were both mums to two young boys. Caprice went on to visit Gemma twice while she was receiving end-of-life care.
Gemma is remembered as a wonderfully loving daughter, sister and mum, but also as a loyal friend who was always great fun to spend time with. Having taken up running (she rarely missed her local parkrun) to help her mental health after her brain tumour diagnosis, Gemma’s friends, including many new ones made through her running club, Running Colchester, gather together each year in December to take part in Run for Gem and raise funds for Brain Tumour Research and St Helena Hospice.
We send our love especially to Gemma’s parents, Barb and Andy, brother Lee and of course Dylan and Noah.
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