On 26th September Myself & Gary, Emma, Katie, Laura & Lyndon, Laura & Dan, Kelly, Jo, Hannah, Lee & Danny, Tanya & Matt, Kristy & Tom (and more names for me to add on daily) will all be doing an 11k charity walk in Chester and Mike & Pete will be doing a 100mile bike ride to raise crucial funds for Brain Tumour Research.

As you may know my husband, Gary - AKA The Hulk, is in the throws of battling his 3rd brain tumour and is currently undergoing 6 months of chemotherapy to help keep it at bay. Due to the amount of radiotherapy Gary's brain has received over the years he is unable to have any more radio and because of the location of the tumour the surgeons are unable to operate.

Gary's journey with brain tumours began at the age of 7, he had neurosurgery and gruelling radiotherapy to successfully remove the tumour.

At the age of 34, in Dubai, a second tumour was discovered that proved much more difficult to treat. Gary underwent a life threatening operation to remove the bulk of the tumour. When Gary woke up he was completely numb down the left hand side of his body from where brain cells had been damaged in surgery and had to begin physio to learn how to walk again. Each and every day he would take a couple of steps further, and I couldn’t have been prouder of him. A few months later Gary was granted permission to fly to London to receive a modern form of radio called Gamma Knife surgery (gaining Gary the Hulk nickname) to target the remaining tumour.

This treatment managed to keep the tumour at bay for 8 years when it was discovered it had begun to re-grow. In Aug 2019 Gary began 6 weeks radiotherapy in the hope of stopping any further growth. This was the last time radiotherapy could be offered to Gary considering the amount of radio his brain has received over the years.

Fast forward only a few more months, we're in the throws of Covid19 lockdown and Gary starts to experience neck ache. After a telephone consultation it was put down to excess laptop and zoom meetings due to working from home and some rest helped to alleviate aches for a short time. A number of weeks later Gary started to experience blurred vision. Another call to the hospital saw Gary immediately being invited in for 5 MRI's. He was on his own and as always was the bravest I have ever known. I couldn't attend the appointment with him due to covid guidelines. I sat in the car park listening in over the telephone when the doctor broke the new to us that they had found a new shadow in his brain stem and they were referring him back to his neurologist at the Walton - Liverpool to discuss the next steps. Once again our lives were shattered. Helplessly trying to cling on to hope and positivity for the following 4 days waiting for the phone call was all we could do, praying for a chance, just a chance at being able to fight this and he would do it with all his might. One thing I know for sure about Gary is, he is a fighter, the strongest and most determined of all.

4 long days were over and we waited for the phone call, the neurologist calmly and regretfully explained that due to the location of the tumour any operation would render Gary paralysed from the neck down and as we already knew radiation therapy wasn't an option as it would cause brain necrosis. But, our prayers had been answered, there was hope and that came in the form of chemotherapy which began on Saturday 1st August. Gary is now taking oral chemo tablets, 5day cycles for 6 months.

He is planning on doing the charity walk with us on the 26th September, the day he starts his 3rd round of chemo, and at this moment in time nothing will stop him!

So, for now, we fight. First and foremost we fight for Gary who has overcome the the most unimaginable hurdles and continues to be the most positive, brave, loving and generous human being I could ever have dreamed to meet, we fight for our beautiful 6 year old daughter Olive who loves her Daddy so very much, we fight for our family and friends, we fight for other sufferers and their loved ones. We fight for a future where the cure doesn't cause more tumours and damage to healthy brain cells.

The battle is on and we are NOT giving up!

Please, unashamedly, once again we are asking for you to sponsor us to raise funds for brain tumour research for people like Gary and other sufferers and for their families so that they can go on and live the happy and healthy lives that they deserve.

All our love Amy & Gary and all of the 'Hulks Walk of Hope' team members!