A bereaved woman from Glasgow is taking part in the Great Scottish Run a year after losing her father-in-law to a brain tumour.

Beatrice Vetter-Ceriotti, 30, will mark the first anniversary of her loss by raising money for the Brain Tumour Research charity at the Great Scottish Run 10k. Joined by her best friend Susanne Rau, who will fly in from Germany for the event, the pair are hoping to raise £750 towards a cure for the disease.

The challenge comes following the death of Beatrice’s father-in-law, Genesio Ceriotti, who suffered from a grade 3 anaplastic astrocytoma for nearly six years. Genesio, who lived and worked in the town of Dairago near Milan, Italy, went to the doctors after dropping his toothbrush without realising. The 62-year-old underwent routine checks and was quickly diagnosed with a brain tumour and, although it was removed in surgery, the tumour grew back after a year. Over the years that followed, Genesio underwent several cycles of radiotherapy and chemotherapy but he continued to deteriorate – so much so that he was unable to attend his son Matteo and Beatrice’s wedding and had to watch from his hospital bed via Skype. In September 2017, Genesio lost his fight against the disease, leaving his wife Silvana and two sons, Matteo and Marco.

Beatrice, who works as a medical writer for Complete HealthVizion in Glasgow, said: “I feel like I can be close to Genesio by running this event in his memory, and I use the time training to reminisce about the precious time we had together and to appreciate just how lucky we are to be healthy and able-bodied. By fundraising for Brain Tumour Research, maybe something good will come from all my grief.”

On Sunday 30^th September, Beatrice and Susanne will be among 10,000 runners taking to the streets of Glasgow. The route will take them on a tour of the River Clyde, taking in The Hydro and Pacific Quay before heading back towards the McLennan Arch at Glasgow Green for the big finish.

Joe Woollcott, Community Fundraising Manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “We’re extremely grateful to Beatrice and Susanne for fundraising for us and helping to raise awareness of this dreadful disease, and especially to Susanne for flying from Germany to take part.

“Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet only 1% of the national spend on cancer research is allocated to a cure. Genesio’s story reminds us that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue. We hope Beatrice and Susanne will inspire others to help the cause.”

To donate to Beatrice and Susanne, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/pinky-and-brain-run-10k

For further information, please contact:
Farel James at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867221 or 07592 502708 or Farel.James@braintumourresearch.org

Notes to Editors

Brain Tumour Research is the only national charity in the UK dedicated to raising funds for continuous and sustainable scientific research into brain tumours, and we are a leading voice calling for greater support and action for research into what scientists are calling the last battleground against cancer.

We are building a network of experts in sustainable research at dedicated Centres of Excellence whilst influencing the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more nationally.

We welcome recent funding announcements for research into brain tumours from the UK Government and Cancer Research UK – £65 million pledged over the next five years. However, this potential funding of £13 million a year comes with a catch – money will only be granted to quality research proposals and, due to the historic lack of investment, there may not be enough of these applications that qualify for grants from this pot.

We want research funding parity with breast cancer and leukaemia. We are calling for a £30-35 million investment every year for research into brain tumours in order to fund the basic research groundwork needed to accelerate the translation from laboratory discoveries into clinical trials and fast-track new therapies for this devastating disease.

The Brain Tumour Research charity is a powerful campaigning organisation and represents the voice of the brain tumour community across the UK. We helped establish and provide the ongoing Secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group for Brain Tumours (APPGBT). We are supporting the crucial APPGBT 2018 Inquiry into the economic and social impacts of brain tumours and will publish their report in the autumn. We are also a key influencer in the development strategy for the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission. 

Key statistics on brain tumours:

• Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age
• Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer
• Just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours
• In the UK, 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour
• Brain tumours kill more children than leukaemia
• Brain tumours kill more men under 45 than prostate cancer
• Brain tumours kill more women under 35 than breast cancer
• Less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers

Please quote Brain Tumour Research as the source when using this information. Additional facts and statistics are available from our website. We can also provide case studies and research expertise for the media.