A Kingston-upon-Thames woman is taking on the London Marathon in a bid to fund the fight against the disease that killed her sister-in-law.

Charlotte Price, 34, is running in the Brain Tumour Research charity’s London Marathon team following the heart-breaking loss of Sarah Price to the disease. Devastated by Sarah’s death, Charlotte is aiming to raise £4,000 towards research into brain tumours – a disease which kills more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.

Sarah, a teacher for the deaf, was 40 years old when she underwent emergency surgery for a highly aggressive brain tumour known as a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Despite surgery, Sarah died in January 2015 just three weeks later leaving her three-year-old daughter Samara.

Four years on from the tragedy, Charlotte is now hoping to make a difference by running in the iconic, world-famous event which sees tens of thousands of runners taking on the 26.2-mile course through the heart of London. Charlotte, who works in marketing and is a mum-of-two, said: “I’m excited and anxious about the marathon but I know it will be an amazing experience. It will all be worth it, knowing that I’m helping to bring us closer to a brain tumour cure.

“Sarah’s death devastated our family and she has left a big hole in our lives. She was a wonderful mother and Samara is now flourishing into a wonderful little girl, but sadly without Sarah there to see it. I wouldn’t wish what happened to Sarah on anyone else and so any donations would be gratefully received.”

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.

Janice Wright, community fundraising manager for Brain Tumour Research in London, said: “We wish Charlotte good luck for her marathon and thank her for supporting us. We hope as many people as possible will help her to reach her target. Sarah’s story reminds us that brain tumours are indiscriminate and they can affect anyone at any age; we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue.”

To sponsor Charlotte, go to: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/charlotte-price16

The London Marathon takes place on Sunday 28 April 2019. If you’ve been inspired by Charlotte and want to run alongside her, contact Sarah@braintumourresearch.org

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.