The Lucas Brand Moyamoya Foundation was founded by Luke Brand & Danielle Eyre after losing their 8 year old Lucas Jay Brand from Moyamoya in September 2023.

Lucas' Symptoms first started around March 2021 where he began suffering from severe headaches, nosebleeds, high blood pressure and vomiting. After many hospital trips and investigations by medical experts we were unable to identify a diagnosis for Lucas symptoms. On the 11th November 2022 Lucas suffered from his first stroke identified through an MRI scan that left Lucas with temporary left sided paralysis. Lucas spent 7 days in the neurology department at Sheffield Children's Hospital but a cause for the stroke was still unidentified. Between November 2022 and June 2023 Lucas symptoms continued to get worse and he suffered from a number of mini strokes all resulting in hospital stays and further investigations.

In June 2023 after another MRI scan following a stroke episode Moyamoya disease was found on the right side of Lucas brain and at this point it was identified Lucas would need brain surgery to reduce chances of further strokes and loss of life. The medical experts from the Neurology department were able to identify Moyamoya had been present on all of Lucas MRI & CT scans from November 2022 but had gone unnoticed due to a lack of awareness and training around the disease. Lucas continued to suffer from symptoms and following a further scan in August 2023 after another stroke episode we were told by the medical experts that Moyamoya had spread across Lucas brain and was now present in 3 separate areas. This now meant Lucas would need 3 separate operations to prolong Lucas' life.

Lucas was booked in for the first of 3 surgeries in September 2023 and after complications tragically lost his life on 29th September 2023. During Lucas' fight the most obvious thing to his parents Luke & Danielle was the lack of awareness for the disease across the medical profession and the absence of any support for families going through these tough times. This has lead to The Lucas Brand Moyamoya Foundation being created and we aim to work closely with medical professionals to create both written and online information packs, fund NHS training to increase knowledge and awareness of Moyamoya, provide support networks for families and fund holidays, trips out & more for children fighting so bravely against this disease.