In September, whilst on a family holiday, mum had a brain haemorrhage.

Later that week, a scan revealed a sizeable primary brain tumour (a tumour that originates from the brain). It was then eight long days before we were safely able to fly her back to the UK for diagnosis. Ten  hours of high risk brain surgery followed and then came the diagnosis that would shatter our worlds, Glioblastoma, a Grade 4 brain cancer.

Pardon the pun, but it blows my mind how devastating the current statistics are around brain cancer:

• Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer
• Almost 11,500 people are diagnosed each year with a primary brain tumour – that’s 31 people every day
• Brain cancer claims over 5,000 lives in the UK every year
• Brain tumours reduce life expectancy by on average 20 years – the highest of any cancer
• Over £500 million is spent on cancer research every year in the UK and ONLY 2% is spent on brain cancer

There is no known cure. There is not enough research.

This MUST change.

And so on the 1st July, Sam and I are both taking on a full Ironman in Norway and every penny we raise will go to the Brain Tumour Charity. 

I’ve not taken this decision lightly, I completely respect the challenge having completed a half Ironman last year and promising myself I would never do a full one, but here I am. 

For those of you who don’t know, an Ironman is a triathlon on steroids: a 3.8km swim, 180km bike and a full marathon to finish. Wish us luck!

We would be so grateful if you could throw some of your hard earned cash to our Just Giving page, which will go towards more research into brain tumours and cancer. To read more about the work the Brain Tumour Charity are undertaking, please see their website - https://www.thebraintumourcharity.org/

Hopefully one day we might just find a cure.

Thanks in advance.

Kate & Sam