The husband of a Chippenham woman who was diagnosed with a brain tumour is taking on his first marathon to help fund research into the disease.

Carly Beasley, 31, had landed her dream job and recently married her childhood sweetheart when she had her first seizure. A month later, in October 2017, she was diagnosed with a grade 2 oligodendroglioma. She had surgery to remove most of the tumour and now requires routine MRI scans.

Inspired by his wife’s experience and in a bid to help other brain tumour patients, Kris Beasley will run the Virgin Money London Marathon for the Brain Tumour Research charity. Kris, 32, who met Carly while at school in Chippenham, has already raised £1,000 of his £3,000 target.

Kris, a contract manager at Stonewood Builders Ltd, said: “When Carly suffered a seizure in the middle of the night, it was a very scary experience. But it wasn’t half as scary as waiting in A&E for the reasons why. Her diagnosis came completely out of the blue and it turned our world upside down.

“Carly recovered remarkably quickly from her 14-hour awake craniotomy in January 2018, which is a testament to her determination and positivity. Inspired by her strength, I challenged myself to complete my first ever marathon.

“While I’m feeling apprehensive for the run, training is going well and I’m seeing a big improvement in my fitness.”

Carly, who works as an accounts manager at Danone, added: “I recently received the results from my first follow-up scan since my surgery, which were really positive and there has been no regrowth of my tumour. I’m feeling optimistic about my future with Kris and spending the rest of our lives together, something which we talk about a lot. I’ve had anxiety about my illness and have gone through the inevitable ups and downs, but it’s great to have Kris’ support and I’ll be so proud of him when he crosses the finish line at the marathon.”

Kris will join tens of thousands of runners pounding the streets of the capital, at the world’s most famous running event, on Sunday 28 April 2019.

Tim Green, senior community fundraising manager for Brain Tumour Research in the South East, said: “We are very grateful to Kris for his support and congratulate him in raising such a phenomenal amount already. Carly’s story reminds us that brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. We would like to encourage others to join the Brain Tumour Research London Marathon team to help take a step towards a cure for this devastating disease.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated 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.

To donate to Brain Tumour Research via Kris’ JustGiving page go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Kris-Beasley

To join Brain Tumour Research’s 2019 London Marathon team, contact Sarah Day at 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) 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.