In Our Hearts

Ben was just 11 when he started to experience symptoms including sickness. A month later he was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme and his devastated mum was told he had less than two years to live. He underwent surgery and treatment, but sadly died just eight months later in December 2019. His twin brother Jack was diagnosed with leukaemia shortly afterwards and is now undergoing treatment.

Shortly after celebrating his fifth birthday in March 2018, Ben, from Kings Norton, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM). His diagnosis came as a shock after doting parents, Jo and Sam, noticed some unusual behaviour which developed into problems with his mobility and speech. A CT scan revealed an inoperable mass growing in his brain stem. Ben underwent gruelling radiotherapy and chemotherapy which provided a period of hope for the family. His brave battle even caught the attention of his footballing hero and the England captain Harry Kane. By May 2019, the cancer had grown aggressively and Ben died in a local hospice. He was just six years old.

In the year their son should have turned 10, Ben’s parents are sharing their story to help drive awareness and funding towards research to eventually find a cure for the disease.

We are grateful to Bernice who worked with us in September 2018 to share her story here. Sadly, she passed away 18th February 2019. We remember Bernice as we continue our work to raise awareness of this devastating disease and to fund research to help find a cure. She will be forever in our hearts.

Former headteacher, Bernice McCabe OBE, has instilled one essential piece of advice in her pupils: you have to rewrite the story when life takes an unexpected turn. Little did she know, Bernice would need to apply this lesson in her own life when, at the age of 65, she was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). One craniotomy, one surprise proposal, and several courses of treatment later, and Bernice is as resilient and optimistic as can be.

 “A CAT scan confirmed I wasn’t suffering from a stroke but something else was happening. I was transferred urgently to Addenbrooke’s Hospital with Rod driving separately behind the ambulance, worrying that I wouldn’t be alive when he met me there.”

Blaise Nelson was diagnosed with multiple brain tumours in February 2018, at the age of just six. The schoolboy from Didsbury in Greater Manchester underwent major surgery and extensive treatment, including a clinical trial, to try to prolong his life. Tragically, his treatment options eventually ran out and he died at home in October 2019, leaving behind his devastated parents Rachel and Chris and three siblings, including his four-year-old sister, Asha. 

Bob shared his story with us in September 2016. Sadly, he passed away on 25th June 2019. We will remember Bob as we continue our work to raise awareness of this devastating disease and to fund research to help find a cure. He will be forever in our hearts.

A successful double bass player, Bob Picken has been a member of Liverpool band Ella Guru, as well as a backing for artists such as Neville Skelly, She Drew The Gun, Bill Ryder-Jones and Marvin Powell.

Diagnosed in 2012 with an anaplastic astrocytoma, whom he affectionately calls “Bieber” in reference to the Canadian singer Justin, Bob has managed to overcome a number of setbacks to carry on with his career, and in his own words “stick two fingers up to cancer”.

“You go through five stages of cancer: denial, anger, bargaining, sadness and eventually acceptance.”

Diagnosed with a multifocal grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) in December 2018, 71-year-old Bob Witherspoon from Whitley Bay lost his life to this aggressive brain tumour just four months later. At his funeral, rather than flowers, his family requested a collection for Brain Tumour Research. Having raised over £700 to help fund research to prevent other families from going through the pain they have suffered, they now want to raise awareness of this cruel disease, by sharing their heart-breaking experience.