A dad, whose hangover symptoms turned out to be an aggressive brain tumour, is sharing his story as he prepares to take part in Wear A Hat Day tomorrow.
Richard Walker was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) on New Year’s Eve, the same day he turned 51 and celebrated his ninth wedding anniversary with wife, Lucy (pictured with Richard).
His symptoms began in September 2021 with severe pain in the back of his head and over time, became more debilitating. The satsuma-sized tumour, which is attached to Richard’s optic nerve, is inoperable and he has undergone a six-week course of radiotherapy which ends this month.
Tomorrow, Richard will set out on a tour of four branches of Lloyds banks across Worcester, Kidderminster, Droitwich and Cleobury Mortimer, where employees and customers, led by Richard’s sister-in-law, will be taking part in Wear A Hat Day. They are being encouraged to wear hats and donate to support Brain Tumour Research and are aiming to collect £2,740 to sponsor a day of research at one of our Centres of Excellence.
Sharing his story in The Sun, Richard said: “I’ve felt, sad, angry and frustrated, especially as I can no longer drive. Reading the statistics about brain tumours is the fuel to my fight. I feel so lucky when I wake up in the morning. I decided to document my brain tumour journey on Instagram as a way of offloading my thoughts and as a place for people to see for themselves. Lots of people ask how I am and this was an easy way of answering.”
To donate to Wear A Hat Day inspired by Richard’s story, please visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Louise-Pardoe
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