Widow takes fundraising to the edge

2 min read

A widow who lost her husband to a brain tumour took her fundraising to new heights as she took on an unforgettable fundraising challenge to help find a cure for the disease. 

She was one of a team of Brain Tumour Research supporters who faced their fears yesterday (Sunday 8th October), abseiling 165ft from the Forth Bridge to help raise awareness and money for the charity. 

Tracy Westwater, lost her husband Ian to a glioblastoma (GBM) in December 2018. Her challenge was particularly poignant because Ian (pictured with Tracy), a train driver for CrossCountry Trains, regularly went over the Forth rail bridge en-route to Dundee or Aberdeen. 

Ian’s symptoms began in August 2018, when, while visiting a friend, Tracy noticed that Ian forgot a word. He started to forget more over the following week. After he fainted whilst visiting his dad, Tracy took Ian to A&E. A few days later, he had an MRI scan which revealed three brain tumours. 

He underwent debulking surgery and was discharged six days later so the couple could “make memories together”. 

Sadly Ian died on 15th December 2018, just 13 weeks after his diagnosis. 

Tracy added: “The prognosis for people with brain tumours is so poor. There is such a lack of funding to research them to find a cure. It’s disgusting.” 

Tracy has raised more than £3,000 on her JustGiving page. If you would like to support her with a donation, please click here

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