A ten-year-old girl is on a fundraising mission to help scientists find a cure for brain tumours. 

Aleze Patterson, from Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, has raised £300 for the Brain Tumour Research charity so far through a yard sale, cake stall, tombola and a raffle and she is dedicating it all to her dad Chris who has diagnosed with a cavernous meningioma brain tumour soon after she was born.

The determined youngster invited her whole street to the yard sale and cake stall, advertising at her local karate class, appealing for raffle prizes on Facebook live, and asking local businesses in Ashton to donate prizes. She received support from The Fat Bull restaurant, Bengal Curry Pot, Wigan Comic Con, Darkfairy Designs, DW Fitness Gym, Aldi and many more.

Her dad Chris was diagnosed in January 2009 after suffering a seizure at work. He declined surgery to remove the tumour as consultants at Salford Royal NHS warned there was a high risk of paralysis. Nearly 10 years on, recent scans have revealed two more tumours. Chris has regular seizures and is cared for full-time by his wife Gemma.

Proud mum Gemma said: “Aleze is such an empathetic little girl and we’re so proud of her for all she’s doing. It was her idea to fundraise and she has organised everything on her own. It’s incredible that she’s so motivated to help and she’s over the moon with how much she’s raised so far.

“It breaks my heart that Aleze and her brother Saul have had to grow up with her dad being ill. Ally has never known him without this disease and I guess it’s become normal for us, but no parent wants their children to be worried about them.”

Andrea Pankiw, community fundraising manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “It’s wonderful that Aleze is fundraising for us in tribute to her dad. Well done to her for such a fantastic job! We’re extremely grateful for her support and hope that as many people as possible get behind her.

“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.”

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 to Aleze, go to: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/christopher-patterson3

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.