A bereaved family is taking on the London Marathon in pursuit of improved outcomes for brain tumour patients and, ultimately, a cure.

Following the brain tumour death of Graham Addison, a former stockbroker from Surrey, his children are in training for the world’s most famous running event. On Sunday 28 April, ‘Team Graham’ will challenge themselves to complete the 26.2-mile course and to raise £20,000 for the Brain Tumour Research charity.

Brothers Stuart, Ben and Anthony and sisters Jenny and Suzie are motivated by the historic underfunding of research into brain tumours. Suzie Addison, a solicitor from Battersea, who will also be joined by her fiancé Humphrey, said: “The London Marathon is going to be a huge challenge but we want to prevent other families going through what ours has, and the only way to do that is through more research into brain tumours.

“My dad’s diagnosis devastated our family and sadly there are thousands of other families experiencing the same hopeless situation. I hope we hit our target and inspire others to support the cause.”

Graham Addison died in September 2016 after a 13-month battle against a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumour. He was diagnosed with the highly aggressive tumour following advice from a doctor at a family party who by chance noticed Graham had poor balance. The former stockbroker responded well to surgery and treatment but deteriorated rapidly after a second operation. He died aged 66, leaving his wife, five children and nine grandchildren.

Team Graham 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.

Janice Wright, community fundraising manager for Brain Tumour Research in London, said: “Best of luck to Team Graham as they train for the London Marathon. We appreciate their support and thank them for helping us to fund the fight.

“Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. Graham’s story reminds us that less than 20% of those diagnosed with brain tumours survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers. We cannot allow this situation to continue.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated 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 make a donation to Brain Tumour Research via Team Addison’s JustGiving page, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/remembering-Graham

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 ground-breaking research 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.