My younger brother Andy was diagnosed with an inoperable primary brain

tumour 6 years ago, aged 34, soon after the birth of his second child. As a competitive sportsman and professional tennis coach this changed his life.

The tumour remained benign but growing for 4 years as he tried various drugs to combat its symptoms. When it turned malignant and aggressive

he underwent emergency brain surgery (to remove as much as the surgeon could get to without threatening his life), with subsequent radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Throughout this he remained positive and strong. In January he was given 4-12 weeks to live and shortly after lost his sight, some speech and mobility. Through February and March he has been cared for at my parent's home in Devon, mostly by my parents - with help from his siblings and partner when possible. The Marie Curie nurses visited every night; without their help, Andy would not have been at home with his family until his final days in Exeter Hospice where Andy finally lost his fight on Wednesday 21st March 2012.

I had already decided to run my first half marathon in Andy's memory. My close friend Aly Burgess is running this with me and has been a great support over these past weeks.We are raising money for the Marie Curie nurses and for the Samantha Dickson Trust which researches into and helps families affected by brain cancer. This charity has helped my family come to terms with what was happening. Without the Marie Curie nurses Andy would have not been able to be nursed at my parent’s home until very near the end. Please give pennies or pounds for two charities relying on our donations. (One hour of nursing care in a patient's home costs £20, while £3,000 covers the cost of Marie Curie's nursing service nationally for one hour)

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