A medical student will fly from America to London to run a marathon in memory of her father who died from a brain tumour.

Katya Strage was just four when her dad was diagnosed with a grade four anaplastic astrocytoma. David Strage was initially told he had just six months to live but thanks to the tireless efforts of his medical team, he lived for six years.

Now Katya, who is in her third year at Texas A&M College of Medicine in Dallas, has set herself the target of raising £3,500 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.

Katya, aged 26, said: “We were living in Sevenoaks when dad became ill. His tumour type is more commonly found in children and is incredibly rare in adults. He managed to outlive his initial poor prognosis and the six years I had with him after his diagnosis allowed me to really begin to know him and, most importantly, remember him.

“The fact that he survived for so long was made possibly only by breaking-edge advancements in the treatment of brain tumours. It is for this reason that I feel I owe the memories I have of my father to organisations such as Brain Tumour Research which is working so hard to raise awareness of this disease and the lack of funding for research.”

Katya will be pounding the streets of the capital on Sunday 22^nd April 2018 as she takes part in the marathon, which is the world’s most famous running event. Her father, who was 36 and with three young children when he was diagnosed, passed away in February 2002 at the age of 42.

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 Katya for her support and are appealing for runners who have a ballot place for the marathon to join her 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 the family’s JustGiving page go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/katyastrage

For further information, please contact: Susan Castle-Smith at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867206 or 07887 241639 or susan@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.