Over 100 walkers in bright pink t-shirts descended on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in memory of a husband and father who died from a brain tumour.

The David Hetherington Memorial Walk of Hope saw friends, family members and colleagues of David Hetherington embark on a three-mile route around the Olympic Park to fundraise for research into the disease that killed him. The event was led by Power of David (PoD), a Fundraising Group set up under the umbrella of the Brain Tumour Research charity, to help fund the fight against the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40.

David Hetherington, from Woodford Green, was diagnosed with a low-grade oligoastrocytoma brain tumour when his wife, Shaz, was 31 weeks pregnant with their first child. Over time, his tumour changed to a grade four glioblastoma – a highly aggressive form of the disease – and he underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy. Sadly the treatment was unsuccessful and he died in November 2016, leaving Shaz and their children Layla and Daniel, who were aged four and two.

In his memory, Shaz has gone on to raise over £25,000 for Brain Tumour Research and founded PoD to continue David’s legacy. She said: “I’m delighted that the Walk of Hope was such a success and that so many people turned out to help us fundraise. Many of us are inspired by David’s memory but we are also walking in honour of the hundreds of thousands of people who suffer daily from this disease. We can’t sit back and let this situation continue.”

Janice Wright, Community Fundraising Manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “It was incredible to see so many people turn out for the Walk of Hope. Seeing over 100 people in their bright pink Brain Tumour Research t-shirts highlighted that there is strength in numbers, and together we can help bring an end to this devastating disease.

“We are extremely grateful for everyone who joined in the event and hope that their efforts will inspire others to fundraise. The money raised will help us to fund dedicated UK Centres of Excellence where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.”

To donate to Power of David go to: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/power-of-david

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
• 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.