The family of a young teenager are marking his 14th birthday by urging support for our petition.
Shay Patel was diagnosed with a brain tumour in November 2018 after collapsing from a seizure at home. A biopsy revealed that the tumour was a grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Tragically, Shay passed away on 1st September 2020, just 22 months after his diagnosis.
To mark Shay’s 14th birthday, his parents Niki and Deenu are supporting our petition calling for national investment to increase to £35 million a year to give parity of funding with other cancers such as breast, prostate and leukaemia. In an interview on BBC Look East yesterday, they encouraged people to sign the petition. Shay’s story was also shared in the MK Citizen and on MKFM.
Niki said: “One of the hardest parts of Shay’s journey, was that we knew from the outset that we would lose him. Whilst we had hope of a miracle, there is no cure for such a tumour and there have been no breakthroughs in treatment for more than 30 years.
“The only way that this will change is by increasing funding for research.”
To sign the petition and help us reach 100,000 signatures before the end of February, please visit: www.braintumourresearch.org/campaigning/brain-tumour-research-petition
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