Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page in memory of Steve Harris....songwriter, guitarist and creative genius behind rock band SHY....but above all he was the devoted and loving husband I adored. Steve was cruelly stolen from me, his friends and fans by a brain tumour in October 2011. 

Steve didn't smoke, was teetotal, ate healthy food, was slim and as fit as a person half his age, he ran 2 miles each day and has always been a clean living guy....not the image some might have of a rock musician, eh ?  He did nothing wrong, he did everything right, he was just one of the unlucky ones, randomly chosen, it doesn't matter who you are, your age or what you do, brain tumours cannot be prevented. When he was told from day one he was not going to survive this illness his words to me were........ "I've had 44 good years...these things happen". 

The stoic and positive way in which he dealt with this indiscriminate and devastating illness was as inspirational as the man himself and out of Steve's illness I want to achieve something positive and that is to help raise much needed funds in Steve's memory for The Brain Tumour Charity so that they may continue researching new treatments, support those affected (and their families) by brain tumours, raise awareness of this 'hidden' illness and ultimately find a cure for the unfortunate people who will follow in Steve's footsteps and through no fault of their own, will fall victim to this totally random illness.

There will be on-going activities and personal challenges planned to raise money to help the fight against brain tumours and my JustGiving tribute page is to make it easy for friends, fans and supporters who wish to make a donation in Steve's memory to The Brain Tumour Charity. Information regarding fundraising can be found in the 'My Updates' section and by clicking the links below.

An extraordinary, unforgetable and very private person and a true gentleman in every sense of the word, Steve was quiet, unassuming, dignified and respectful of himself and to those around him....oh and the funniest guy you'd ever meet....his quick fire answers and one-liners were priceless! I used to tell him that if he hadn't chosen to be a musician he should have become a stand up comic! He was also born with a natural talent for his instrument that has inspired so many. His 100% dedication to his band was constant and his songwriting and playing improved with each passing year, he would practice for hours each day....to see Steve without a guitar in his hand was quite a rare sight for me!  He used to lovingly call me a 'guitar widow'....now I'm one for real.

A prolific songwriter and described as 'one of the best rock guitarists in the UK', Steve was voted 32nd best guitarist in Japan's Burrn magazine June 2012 edition ranking higher than Angus Young of AC/DC and Uli Jon Roth, ex Scorpions!  Now, Steve's legacy is the awesome music spanning almost 30 years he created for SHY and I hope his music will inspire you to be the best you can be and never let go of hope, he didn't, even in the face of adversity.  

Steve was also a person that belongs to that 'unique group of people', you know, the 'stand outs', the type you meet once in a lifetime, a person that not only touches your heart but also your soul...you might meet maybe 2 or 3 of these people in your lifetime, but sadly you might not meet one - (I was blessed) and although the World I knew has ended under such shocking circumstances and another one starts, I am eternally grateful this very special man asked me to be his wife..... and one of my tributes to him for bringing so much happiness into my life for 27 years, is that I legally changed my middle name to Steve on what would have been his 47th birthday on April 19th 2012.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to The Brain Tumour Charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the Charity.

So please dig deep into the dusty corners and please consider donating........whatever you can spare, even that £1.00 coin you found down the back of the sofa......and along with Steve, lets all ROCK ON!  ............and to brain tumours, you ain't always gonna take the best people away and kill the soul of those who love them too.....you ain't always gonna win!

** As songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire, Steve was 'MR. SHY' and is irreplaceable, sadly this means the band are unable to continue without him **

A Message For overseas friends and fans

You will need a credit card, a debit card or a Paypal account.

Donations are made in pounds sterling (£ GBP), so you might find it useful to use a currency convertor before you donate. There are lots to choose from, but if you're stuck, one that we often use is XE: http://www.XE.com/ucc

Once you know how much you'd like to donate in GBP, just enter that amount in the box under Enter an amount (e.g. if you'd like to donate £10, enter 10.00) and follow the donation process as normal.

When your donation appears on your bank statement, it will show the equivalent in your own currency. It's worth remembering that your bank/credit card company might charge extra fees for international transactions, so you may wish to contact them before you donate to find out.

5 BRAIN TUMOURS FACTS

1.)  Only 2% of cancer research funding is spent on brain tumour research despite there now being 40 people diagnosed every day in the UK with a primary brain tumour.  The 'gold standard' treatment for malignant brain tumours has not changed significantly over the past 30 years.

2). Malignant Brain tumours are the most significant cause of cancer death in men under 45 and women under 35.  They attack anyone ‘out of the blue’ and destroy young, fit and healthy people....like my Steve. They cannot be prevented because there is no known cause.                                           

3). Brain tumours are the most common cause of cancer death in children having overtaken leukaemia.

4). Malignant Brain Tumours take more years off the victims life than any other cancer.

5). Each year approximately 8,600 primary brain tumours are registered in the UK but it is widely accepted that these figures are under-estimated. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) reports that 'almost half of intercranial tumours are not recorded by cancer registries' and research by brain tumour charities suggest the true number of primary brain tumours could be as high as 16,000. (*Secondary tumours in the brain are not recorded by cancer registries, but again research suggests up to 32,000 people may develop secondary cancer that has spread to the brain from elsewhere in the body).

RAISED OFFLINE:

26.8 mile Birmingham Canal Canter September 2011 completed by close friend and number 1 SHY fan (probably!) Steven Craven raised £670.00

10k BUPA Great Yorkshire Run October 2011 completed by best friends David & Vicki Tait raised £423.09

Collection Tin held by local Post Office has so far raised £99.09

Cheque donation sent directly to Brain Tumour UK January 2012 by special friend Keith Dudley £100.00

Inskip Half Marathon January 2012 completed by best friend David Tait raised £155.00

The Three Amoebas and Friends gig at The Asylum Venue Sunday, 6th May 2012 (and HT-5R Combo Amp raffle prize kindly donated by Blackstar Amplification) raised £806.45...amazing night, amazing people.

Free Radio Walkathon Sunday, 13th May 2012 completed by Steve's friend and work colleague Jane Dickinson (now a fabulous friend to me) raised £340.00

Tough Mudder (a hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces) completed on Sunday, 15th July 2012 by four amazing people: Steven Craven, Allan Fleming, Moria Dineley and Thomas McCorrie, raised the fabulous sum of £615.00

Collection tin held by Madhouse Rehearsals / The Asylum Venue Birmingham, has so far raised £123.21

The marvelous Halloween pumpkin carving by Keith Dudley raised the fantastic sum of £635.00 that was handed over to the Charity on Thursday, 1st November 2012.

Collection tin held by The Station Pub, Kings Heath has so far raised £44.88

Cash donation sent directly to The Brain Tumour Charity March 2013 by rockin' friend Lisa Billingham £10.00

Collection tin held by Johnstans family butcher, Kings Heath has so far raised £20.00

Collection tin held by PIZZAS R US has so far raised £16.38

If you have time, you may like to have a look at the following sites, where you will also find info regarding any planned fund raising events in Steve's memory, pictures of Steve and our latest news

www.facebook.com/pages/In-Memory-of-Steve-Harris-SHY-Fund-Raising-for-Brain-Tumour-UK/100848580034106 - Fundraising Info

www.shyonline.co.uk - Official SHY website

www.facebook.com/shyonline - SHY's Facebook Page