A man who lost his sister-in-law to an aggressive brain tumour is taking on the challenge of running the London Marathon to raise funds for research into the disease.

Adam Ramadhen, who is originally from Sandy and has many family and friends in Bedfordshire, has already raised more than £2,000 and is hoping to reach a target of £7,000 for the pioneering charity Brain Tumour Research which funds a network of Centres of Excellence where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.

Ria Kelly, sister of Adam’s wife, Aissa, passed away in 2013 when she was only 31 years old. Ria, who lived in Coxheath in Maidstone, was just 27 and given only six months to live when she was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a high-grade brain tumour in 2009. Over a period of four years, Ria had brain surgery on two occasions, as well as gruelling radiotherapy and numerous rounds of chemotherapy.

Adam, 31, who now lives in Tonbridge in Kent, and has never run a marathon before said: “I watched Ria fight this cruel disease with true determination. With the odds against her, she still managed to smile every day, be extremely positive and try to bring happiness to all those around her. Her attitude was truly amazing and she had unmatchable strength.

“My motivation is simple. If Ria can fight cancer for four years and still smile every single day, I can do her the honour of running 26 miles in her memory and raise money to help to find a cure for this awful disease.”

Adam’s wife Aissa said: “We all miss my sister Ria very deeply and she continues to motivate and inspire us in life and in the challenges we set ourselves. The whole family is supporting Adam in this challenge as we want to raise as much attention and money as possible to help families everywhere who go through the heartache of discovering partners, children, siblings and parents have this cruel disease.”

Adam will be pounding the streets of the capital on Sunday 22^nd April as he takes part in the marathon, which is the world’s most famous running event.

To raise awareness of his endeavours and the work of Brain Tumour Research, Adam will also be collecting donations for the charity in Maidstone’s Week Street/Earl Street pedestrian precinct on Saturday 3^rd February.  

Tim Green, Community Fundraising Manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “Brain tumours 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.

“For too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer. Experiences like this family’s reminds us all that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue. We are extremely grateful to Adam for his support and are appealing for runners who have a ballot place for the marathon to join him on Team Brain Tumour Research by nominating us as their chosen charity for 2018. Together we will find a cure.”

To make a donation to Brain Tumour Research via Adam’s JustGiving page go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/aramadhen

For further information, please contact: Caroline Whitelegge at Brain Tumour Research on 07816 946276 or caroline.whitelegge@braintumourresearch.org

Notes to Editors

Brain Tumour Research is the only national charity in the UK focused on funding sustainable research to find a cure for brain tumours. We are building a game-changing network of world-class Research Centres of Excellence in the UK. Embracing passionate member charities nationwide, £5.5 million was raised towards research and support during 2016.

We are campaigning to see the national spend on research into brain tumours increased to £30 - £35 million a year, in line with breast cancer and leukaemia. The charity is celebrating a year of high-profile campaigning on this issue following the unprecedented success of its petition in 2016. Following that, Brain Tumour Research is now taking a leading role in the Government’s Task and Finish Working Group convened to tackle the historic underfunding for research.

Key statistics on brain tumours:

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

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