A 26-year-old man with brain cancer who has been given just six months to live has inspired a 24-hour trek to help raise awareness of the disease.
Civil servant Charlie Pearson, from Essex, said: “It doesn’t feel fair to have to think about dying at the age of 26,” after being told his brain tumour had progressed to a glioblastoma (GBM) in February 2024.
The news followed four years of stable scans after he suffered a seizure whilst on the Jubilee line of the London Underground.
Doctors thought Charlie, who worked for the Department for Levelling Up, had meningitis before a scan revealed a mass on his brain in July 2019, initially diagnosed as a grade 2 astrocytoma.
He has endured three operations and combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment.
Last Thursday (6th June), Charlie’s childhood best friends, Katie Rice from London, and Jenny Sutton, who also lives in Essex, both 26, completed the National Three Peaks Challenge in 23 hours 28 minutes for Brain Tumour Research.
The trio met at primary school when they were four. Katie said: “I remember when Charlie told us he had a brain tumour. It was the day before he and I were due to graduate. It was a shock. Despite everything, he’s maintained such a strong and positive mindset, and has never lost his sense of humour.”
Katie and Jenny were joined by their partners, Bronson Payne, 25 and Galen Marasek, 22, to summit three world famous peaks: Scotland’s Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike in England, and Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), Wales.
The amateur hikers raised more than £7,600. Katie added: “It was an amazing and emotional feeling to finish the challenge. The best bit has to be the reaching the summit of Snowdon. We were struggling a lot but we knew that we could get down and beat the 24-hour limit. We loved climbing in the dark on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) as it felt like a proper adventure to finish on.”
To donate to Brain Tumour Research via Katie and Jenny’s challenge, please visit: www.justgiving.com/page/katiejenny3peakchallenge
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