A mum is taking on a “once-in-a-lifetime” challenge inspired by her son who has a terminal brain tumour. 

Joshua Cullen was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) on Christmas Eve 2020 and was told he had just 12-18 months to live. Happily, the 26-year-old is now “thriving” and his mum, Magdi, will fulfil her childhood dream of cycling from the Czech Republic, where she was born, to her home in Boston, Lincolnshire, to raise vital funds for Brain Tumour Research. 

She said: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure to raise awareness and much-needed money. You wouldn’t wish such a devastating diagnosis on your worst enemy; it affects so many people, not just Josh but everyone around him. It has changed my perspective on so many things, the most important thing is supporting Josh and helping him through it.” 

Magdi will start her challenge on Wednesday 7^th June, setting off from Ratíškovice, near the Slovakia/Austria border and cycling more than 2,000km through Austria, Germany, Belgium and France before crossing the Channel to the UK. She hopes to complete her adventure within three weeks. 

Joshua said: “I’m absolutely speechless Mum is doing such an epic bike ride; I’m incredibly proud of her. More people need to be made aware of how serious brain tumours are and research is vital to help find a cure.” 

To help Magdi reach her £2,500 fundraising target, please donate via her JustGiving page by clicking here. 

Related reading: 

• Joshua’s story 
• See what cycling challenges are coming up 

If you found this story interesting or helpful, sign up to our weekly e-news and keep up to date with all the latest from Brain Tumour Research.