Two brothers whose lives were claimed by brain tumours will be remembered by family members who are running the Great North Run in support of the Brain Tumour Research charity. 

Michael and Richard Jeffery will be remembered at the Great North Run by Team Jeffery, which is made up of Michael and Richard’s nephew, Adam Jeffery, nieces Annabelle and Catherine Porter, and family friend Liam Irving. The team are taking part in the world’s biggest half marathon to raise vital funds for the charity which helps fund sustainable research into the indiscriminate and devastating disease. 

Richard Jeffery died from a highly aggressive and incurable brain tumour, a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), in 1991 at the age of 25. His brother, Michael, was then diagnosed with a brain tumour in May 2016, 25 years on from his brother’s death. 

Michael, who worked at Sellafield Ltd in Cumbria, suffered from a mini seizure which was suspected to be a stroke. After months of hospital appointments, Michael was diagnosed with an astrocytoma and underwent radiotherapy. The treatment was unsuccessful and Michael deteriorated until his death 18 months later in December 2017. 

Annabelle, 26, who also works at Sellafield, said: “Completing the Great North Run is going to be such a special moment for us as a family. We’ve been training for a long time and it will be such an achievement when we cross the finish line together. 

“It’s unbelievable that two brothers could both die from this indiscriminate disease, and we want to contribute to research in the hope that no more families have to watch their loved ones suffer like Richard and Michael did. We’ve raised over £2,000 between us and want to keep adding to that over the coming weeks.” 

Team Jeffery will be among thousands of runners taking part. This year’s event, which takes place on 9th September, will begin in Newcastle city centre before finishing at the coast in South Shields some 13.1 miles later. 

A team of 42 will be taking part and raising money for Brain Tumour Research which funds dedicated UK Centres of Excellence where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure. 

Andrea Pankiw, 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. 

“Stories like Richard’s and Michael’s remind us that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue. We are extremely grateful for Team Jeffery’s support and wish them all the best for the event.” 

To sponsor Team Jeffery, please go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/teamjeffery2018 

For further information, please contact:
Farel Williams at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867221 or 07592 502708 or Farel.Williams@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.