A Rushden woman, diagnosed with a brain tumour just months after the birth of her daughter, is taking part in a Walk of Hope on 29^th September along the Grand Union Canal to raise funds for the Brain Tumour Research charity to help find a cure.

Jess Richardson will be accompanied by Tracy Greer, also from Rushden – the pair met just after they both gave birth in the Spring of 2014 to their daughters, Isla Rose and Ella Mae respectively, and have been best friends ever since.

Jess explained: “Eight months after Isla was born, I started vomiting and experiencing bouts of double vision. I received a phone call the day after having an MRI scan which changed our lives for ever, when I was asked to see my GP urgently, who broke the news that I had a brain tumour.

“I underwent surgery in November 2015, but the tumour, which was diagnosed as a slow-growing cavernous sinus haemangioma, was so entwined with nerves and the carotid artery that doctors were unable to remove it all.

“Everything was looking positive, however, so my husband Darren and I moved house, bought into a new business, got a puppy and changed our car. Sadly, our positivity was misplaced; a routine follow-up scan in June 2016 revealed the tumour was back and even bigger than before. 

“In April 2017, after spending months on a waiting list, I underwent Gamma Knife surgery (also known as Stereotactic Radiosurgery) in Sheffield which was successful in shrinking the tumour by around two thirds.

“Two years ago, Tracy, who has supported me every step of the way along my brain tumour journey, and I, with our husbands and then two-year-old daughters and our three-month-old puppy, had a lovely day completing the Grand Union Canal walk for Brain Tumour Research. This year we have decided to do it again, but this time will be leaving the girls at home with their dads to enjoy a fun day together while we raise funds for this important cause.”

Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. What’s more they 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.   

Milton Keynes-based Brain Tumour Research has organised a popular Walk of Hope along the Grand Union Canal for the last six years on the last weekend of September. This year, six Walks of Hope will take place across the UK simultaneously during the morning of Saturday 29^th September, while a seventh took place along the Bridgwater and Taunton canal on Saturday 8^th September.

With a choice of completing 5.5 miles or 11 miles, the Grand Union Canal Walk of Hope once again invites participants to arrive at the Three Locks pub in Stoke Hammond from 9.30am for registration and bacon sandwiches before setting out to walk along the towpath to The Grove Lock pub outside Leighton Buzzard. Walkers will then be able to picnic or enjoy lunch and refreshments at the pub and, if they are feeling energetic, walk back to The Three Locks.

The registration fee is £15 for individuals and £20 for families. All walkers will receive a medal for being part of the charity’s fantastic Fighting Force and are welcome to bring dogs, as long as they remain on leads.

Michael Thelwall, Head of Community Fundraising for the Brain Tumour Research charity said: “This is always a popular event for us as the whole family can get involved. The money raised will help us in our mission to build a network of experts in sustainable research. We are funding dedicated UK Centres of Excellence where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.

“We are extremely grateful for Jess and Tracy’s support and wish them all the best for their second Grand Union Canal Walk. Jess’s story reminds us that for too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer and we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue. Sadly, less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers.”                              

“We would encourage anyone that would like to take part, to get in touch.”

To sponsor Jess and Tracy go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tracyandjess

To register go to www.braintumourresearch.org/fundraise/take-on-a-challenge and click on Grand Union Canal Walk

For further information, please contact:
Liz Fussey at the Brain Tumour Research charity on 07811 068357 or liz@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.