MY STORY

I am running the Brighton Marathon on April 2nd, to raise money for the Brain Tumour Charity, in honour of my friend Tasha Floyd. I have never competed in a race of any distance and before now I had never ran further than 10 miles! So completing a full 26.2 mile marathon is a huge challenge, but it is for an extremely worthy cause.

I first met Tasha when she joined my class as a Music Technology student. She had lost her sight battling a brain tumour and was learning to rebuild her life and skills as a blind person. Music had given her the chance to start her education again and she was the most committed, determined and inspirational student (and human) I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. She changed the way I approach my teaching and my life. She faced every challenge with a positivity and sense of humour that completely blew my mind, smashing her studies and heading off to university with a Scholarship. She was relentless in her fundraising, coming up with all kinds of (frankly ridiculous!) activities to raise money along the way and even becoming an ambassador for the Brain Tumour Charity, all with the selfless attitude of simply wanting to help others despite all the challenges she faced herself.

When she left for Uni, I kept in touch with Tasha and her family, but I soon heard news that she was battling another tumour and unfortunately she eventually lost her fight with this cruel disease. The Tasha Floyd fund continues her legacy, having already raised more than £30,000. The next goal for this amazing fund is to reach £40,000 in Tasha's honour and I want to get as close to that as I can. You can read more of Tasha's story below and please consider a donation of any amount, to help us towards this goal, in recognition of a truly incredible human.

TASHA'S STORY

‘It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do’ (Jane Austen)

Natasha was a true inspiration to all who met her. At 16 years old in 2007 she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour and we were told she had 9-12 months to live. Due to raised intracranial pressure her optic nerves were damaged and this unfortunately left her with less than 10% vision which consisted of just light & dark. She embraced her disability, learning to cope with all the daily challenges life threw at her. Not only did she cope with the harsh treatment needed but she never stopped smiling and making those around her smile.

Her attitude to life and her challenges was amazing, she became the inaugural National visually impaired Boccia champion in March 2011. She drove a car and went off road in a Landrover and had plans to run the London Marathon, she raised thousands for different charities and had recently embarked on a new goal of getting to the moon and back for The Brain Tumour Charity to help raise awareness of this cruel & devastating disease.

She helped to launch The Brain Tumour Charity Headsmart campaign raising awareness of the vital need to recognise symptoms earlier and appeared on Breakfast TV with Eamonn Holmes and on Local BBC radio. There are over 130 different types of brain tumours and survival rates haven’t changed in 40 years. Tasha was passionate about raising the profile of brain tumour awareness and making a difference.

Tasha had a determination beyond many of her own age, she had a spirit which was indomitable, and she had the utter belief she could change brain tumour survival rates by telling her story.

She wanted to stop others suffering a disability as she had done, to stop others dying needless deaths because brain tumour research gets only 2% of the entire national cancer budget an injustice she felt was most unfair and always said “I think it is because brain tumours aren’t seen as a sexy cancer, people just see the devastation left behind but because you can’t see them people just don’t know”

The last selfless act Tasha did was to donate her brain to brain tumour research - this is why her fund is purely for research. Her legacy will continue to give for many years to come and who knows that last selfless act may one day hold the answer or part of that answer in finding a cure for those who are still suffering.

As her Uncle Will said in the tribute he wrote about his niece “Actually, Tasha didn’t just touch hearts, she stole them”.

THE CHARITY

The Brain Tumour Charity is the world's leading brain tumour charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally. Committed to saving and improving lives, we're moving further, faster to help every single person affected by a brain tumour.We're set on finding new treatments, offering the highest level of support and driving urgent change. And we're doing it right now. Because we understand that when you, or someone you love, is diagnosed with a brain tumour a cure really can't wait.