A 28-year-old woman from Hartlepool has raised thousands of pounds towards research into brain tumours following her mum’s devastating diagnosis.

Gemma McIver was joined by more than 270 people on Friday 30 November at Belle Vue Way Social Club for a charity night in aid of the Brain Tumour Research charity. The mum-of-two organised the event in honour of her mum, Ann Brown, who is currently in Alice House Hospice.

Friends, family and colleagues supported Gemma’s Christmas-themed event and more than £4,000 was raised through a tombola, raffle and various games. Local businesses such as Cards R Hudsons, Thea’s Wardrobe and Dominoes, also rallied together to support Gemma’s fundraiser by providing raffle prizes, and Noble Catering Services donated food for the event.

Gemma said: “I’m so pleased with how the charity night went and I’m over the moon with how much was raised. Thank you to everyone who has helped to make the event possible. It made Mum so happy to see how many people came along and she is so touched by everyone’s support.”

Ann was diagnosed in July 2018 after a sudden seizure. Aged 53 at the time, she was diagnosed with an inoperable glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) – a highly aggressive type of brain tumour. Ann, a mum-of-two and grandmother to Gemma’s two sons, underwent radiotherapy and began chemotherapy but she deteriorated too much to continue with treatment.

Gemma added: “Mum’s diagnosis has hit our family so hard; we can’t believe how cruel this disease is and how underfunded research into a cure is. For that reason, I’m determined to raise awareness and raise funds so that other families don’t have to go through what we’re going through. It is truly heart-breaking to experience.”

Matthew Price, community fundraising manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “It’s incredible that Gemma has organised this event and raised so much whilst going through an extremely difficult time. We are so grateful for her support and Ann is in our thoughts.

“Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet, historically, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease. We cannot allow this situation to continue and I hope people will join Gemma on her mission to raise funds and awareness.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at Research Centres of Excellence in the UK; it also campaigns for the Government and the larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure. The charity is calling for an annual spend of £35m in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.

To donate towards research, go to: https://www.braintumourresearch.org/donation

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
• Historically, 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.