The deaths of three people from brain tumours have inspired a woman to tackle the London Marathon to help scientists find a cure for the disease.

Chloe Barnes, 44, from Shoreham-by-Sea, will take part in next year’s event to help fund research into the disease that claimed the lives of her cousin and two friends.

Chloe’s cousin Vicky Jackson, from Hove, died in 2015 at the age of 46. She passed away just a year after being diagnosed and left a husband and two young children.

Brain tumours also killed relatives of two of Chloe’s close friends. Katrina Toner, from Lancing, West Sussex, lost her dad, Jim Gardner, to the disease in 2013, after he endured several operations, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. John Hooper, from Worthing, the father-in-law of Chloe’s running buddy Hannah Hooper, died in 2010, aged 71, after suffering from a brain tumour.

Chloe, a teaching assistant and single mum of three children, is already in training and is aiming to raise £3,000 for the Brain Tumour Research charity

She said: “I’ve seen first-hand and through my friends how devastating a brain tumour diagnosis can be. Signing up to the marathon has helped me to turn these experiences into something positive and I want to inspire people to join me in fundraising for this vital cause.

“Having run the Brighton Marathon last year, I’m hoping to smash my personal best and raise as much as I can. While I’ll be running alone on the day, I know Hannah, who regularly trains with me, is proud of what I’m doing and we’ve been reminiscing about those we lost to this cruel disease on our jogs.”

Chloe 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. A number of places are still available on the Brain Tumour Research marathon team.

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.

Tim Green, senior community fundraising manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Chloe’s enthusiasm to fundraise and help raise awareness of brain tumours is fantastic and we are extremely grateful for her support. We hope she inspires others to join her on the run and help us fund the fight against brain tumours. We’re inviting people who may have lost out on a ballot place to apply to run for Brain Tumour Research.

“Sadly, Vicky, Jim and Roger’s stories aren’t uncommon and the disease kills more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer. We cannot allow this desperate situation to continue.”

To apply for a place on the Brain Tumour Research London Marathon team email sarah@braintumourresearch.org

For further information, please contact:
Annie Slinn at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867221 or 07592 502708 or annie.slinn@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.