Glioblastoma Brain Tumour: THE BIGGEST KILLER OF CHILDREN & ADULTS UNDER THE AGE OF 40.

Please help us to raise money to fund a PHD into the research of this devastating disease....…….

On the 30th October 2021, it will be 10 years since my wonderful, funny, caring husband, Ian was taken from us at the age of just 47. He was an amazing, loving father of our two beautiful girls, Emily & Elizabeth (who were aged 12 & 14). Words cannot describe that day, our hearts were broken forever. It’s something we have learnt to manage and live with every single day since.

Go back to 2009 when life was pretty sweet and on track. We lived by our mantra “work hard, play harder”. We had two gorgeous daughters, we were very happily married, content, comfortable & enjoying the many rewards of the successful business we had grown together.

Ian had been on his annual October half term holiday with his girls. Sadly it hadn’t been the usual fun filled trip as Ian had spent most of his time in bed suffering with debilitating headaches & dizziness. The dizziness and headaches got progressively worse and on 19th November 2009, we were given the diagnosis of an incurrable, aggressive, grade 4 Glioblastoma brain cancer. This was the day our lives were changed forever! In one sentence, our future together was taken from us. We knew on that day his life was to be cut short, very short.

Ian would never walk his ‘princesses’, Emily & Elizabeth down the aisle, he would never meet his grandchilden, he would not be here to celebrate our milestones in life and all the things we take for granted. Glioblastoma slowly drains your life source and takes everything from you and your family;

Over the 15 months from diagnosis, Ian had two brain operations, intense chemotherapy and radiotherapy. We tried to keep some kind of normality for the sake of the girls, who were at such important times in their lives. Emily about to sit here GCSE’s and Elizabeth starting secondary school.

We were advised to tell them what was happening but telling your children they are going to lose a parent doesn’t come with a hand book and to this day still breaks me 💔 when I think of the day Emily and Elizabeth were told they were going to lose the best thing in there lives…..their Daddy 💔💔

We were determined to remain positive and maintain some structure, ie going to work, still having family around for his amazing dinners and just the normal stuff like getting a shower & getting dressed which we managed between us. Eventually these became a struggle and it was clear we couldn’t carry on as this horrible disease took over his body.

By June 2011, after his second operation, Ian had lost the use of the left side of his body and had succumbed to a wheelchair. His vision was blurred, having seizures and by the time he was admitted to Marie Curie he was struggling to talk. He never ever complained.

Ian was always a very positive, generous, happy go lucky & determined person with the cheekiest sense of humour. It became known as ‘the Ian Stuart effect’ (ISE). It was infectious & everyone who met him benefitted from it. Even while he was in hospital and Marie Curie.

I think these qualities are what got him to 2 years. He was a people person, who just loved to see people happy & having fun. He would often make great plans for good times and he has left a huge gap in the lives of everyone that the ISE touched ❤

Research into brain tumours is the most overlooked & underfunded of all cancers with little or no progress in treatment in over 20 years. Yet this is the biggest killer of children and adults under 40, with only 25% of sufferers living beyond a year after diagnosis. Unbelievably, only 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.

THIS FEELS UNACCEPTABLE!!

Please help us to continue the ‘Ian Stuart Effect’ (ISE) by helping to find out more about this devastating illness so treatment options can be improved.

In loving memory of Ian Stuart we will be doing a 10k walk through Liverpool to mark his 10th anniversary this Saturday 30th of October. This is the start of a 12 month fundraiser involving numerous events, culminating in a charity night.

#IANSWALK all donations will help fund a PhD into researching the genetics of Glioblastoma supported by the University of Liverpool and the Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust.