A dental nurse from Chester has completed the world’s largest half marathon following the loss of her dad to a brain tumour.

Julie Lowe, aged 31, was spurred over the finish line at the Great North Run by the memory of her dad, Ian, who died just two weeks after his brain tumour diagnosis. Devastated by her loss, Julie was determined to complete the event and raise vital funds for the Brain Tumour Research charity.

Ian Lowe, a taxi driver from South Shields, was diagnosed with an aggressive CNS lymphoma after becoming very forgetful and collapsing in January 2017. The treatment options for Ian were extremely bleak and he died on Valentine’s Day 2017, one week after starting an antibody treatment.

Julie, who works at White Friars House Dental Practice in Chester, said: “I’m so delighted to have completed the Great North Run. I was apprehensive before the big day but I knew that Dad’s spirit would keep me going. It was heart-breaking that he wasn’t there to cheer me on but I had to push on and do my bit to help the charity.”

Joined by her partner Rich, Julie was among thousands of runners taking part in the annual Great North Run, the world’s biggest half marathon. A team of 42 took part to raise money for Brain Tumour Research which funds dedicated UK Centres of Excellence where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.

Andrea Pankiw, Community Fundraising Manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “For too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer. Stories like Ian's remind us all that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue.

“Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone, at any age, at any time. What’s more, they kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.”

To sponsor Julie, please go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/julie-lowe14

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.