A doctor has raised more than £3,500 in 24 hours for the Brain Tumour Research charity, ahead of his first ever marathon.

Dr Rahil Mandalia, from Clarendon Park, Leicester, is already in training to tackle the London Marathon, and his fundraising has got off to a stellar start. More than £3,500 was raised on the day Rahil set up his fundraiser, against a whopping £6,000 target.

Rahil, 31, who works as an anaesthetist at the University Hospitals of Leicester, has personal motivations fundraising, as he knows two people affected by a brain tumour.

In January 2014, Rahil’s mother-in-law Amita Charavda, from Leicester, died just weeks after her diagnosis with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) – a highly aggressive type of tumour – aged 55.

Earlier this year, Rahil’s close friend Ronak Thakkar was diagnosed with an anaplastic astrocytoma. Ronak, 30, also from Leicester, has endured surgery and radiotherapy and is currently undergoing a gruelling course of chemotherapy.

Through his job, Rahil has also seen first-hand the impact of a brain tumour on his patients. He said: “I was shocked to learn that 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.

“The strength and positivity that both Ronak and Amita displayed during their treatment, alongside the shattering effect that their diagnoses have had on their loved ones, has inspired me to run the London Marathon for Brain Tumour Research. 

“This brilliant charity is dedicated to funding continuous and sustainable scientific research into brain tumours. I want to raise £6,000 in the hope that, one day, no family has to hear the devastating word 'incurable'.”

Rahil will join tens of thousands of runners pounding the streets of the capital at Virgin Money London Marathon, the world’s most famous running event, on Sunday 28 April 2019. A number of places are still available on the Brain Tumour Research marathon team.

Carrie Bater, community fundraising manager at Brain Tumour Research in the Midlands added: “The commitment and enthusiasm that Rahil has shown in his fundraising is incredible and we are very grateful to him, and to those who have already generously donated to the cause. Less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers. We cannot allow this desperate situation to continue.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated 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 to Brain Tumour Research via Rahil’s JustGiving page, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rahil-mandalia 


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For further information, please contact Annie Slinn at the Brain Tumour Research charity on 01908 867239 or 07591 206545 or annie.slinn@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) which published its report Brain Tumours A cost too much to bear? in 2018. Led by the charity, the report examines the economic and social impacts of a brain tumour diagnosis. We are also a key player 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.