As a family, we are walking the OSCAR’s Nine Edges Challenge to support OSCAR’s Charity (a Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity), who have been supporting Frank with his Brain Cancer diagnosis.

Frank’s Story

Frank’s journey began when he suffered a terrifying major seizure at the age of 1. Doctors soon discovered every parent's worst nightmare: a large tumor at the back of Frank’s head, causing a dangerous build-up of fluid on his brain.

He was rushed by emergency ambulance to Great Ormond Street Hospital, placed in an induced coma, and underwent immediate surgery to save his life. The outlook was daunting; the tumor was wrapped around the nerves near his brain stem, carrying a high risk of permanent disability.

The Long Road to Recovery

On May 29th 2024, Frank endured an 11-hour surgery. While the surgeon successfully removed the entire tumor, the road that followed has been incredibly steep:

Intensive Recovery: Frank spent over a month in the hospital, battling sepsis and undergoing surgery for a permanent brain shunt.

Proton Beam Therapy: He endured 33 sessions of radiation over seven weeks, requiring general anesthesia every single day.

Ongoing Battles: Despite the successful surgery, Frank continues to fight, facing further seizures, additional brain surgeries and continued hospital visits over the course of the last 18 months.

Frank has shown incredible strength, but this journey has taken a huge toll on him. As a family we are taking part in the OSCAR's Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity by walking the Nine Edges Challenge in The Peak District to raise money to support children with brain tumours and their families, raise awareness of signs and symptoms of this terrible disease, and fund research into better and kinder treatments.

OSCAR’s charity have been amazing for Frank and his family, providing us with so much support and love. They have gifted Booster Boxes to Frank and also to his sisters, as time has been hard for them as well. The team at OSCAR’s are on hand helping with any advice they can. The day that I told them that Frank was still struggling to walk, they contacted a local physio and arranged for him to have an assessment and sessions that they funded. It is a small gesture, but one that can have a lasting difference to Frank and to all our family.

About OSCAR's

OSCAR's Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity are walking the Nine Edges Challenge in The Peak District to raise money to support children with brain tumours and their families, raise awareness of signs and symptoms of this terrible disease, and fund research into better and kinder treatments.

We will be walking twelve years to the day that Oscar Hughes died of a brain tumour aged just 9. The charity that bears his name has helped so many other children in the same situation and the team taking on the walk are doing so to help even more.

To learn about OSCAR's - past, present and future- head to oscarscharity.org or follow @oscarscharity on social media.

And if you choose to donate, don't forget to add GiftAid!