I’m running 26 miles in May for Brain Tumour Research

Running is a challenge for me. If you’ve followed me for a while you’ll know how I have run throughout my Couch 2 5K journey. You’ll also know that my right knee, which I tore ligaments in when I was in my teens, always rears its ugly head and throws a wrench into my efforts. So, making this pledge to run 26 miles in May will be tough. But I made the decision to do it, without even blinking, and let me tell you why.

My Dads Brain Tumour story… 

Going back to 2008, I remember my Dad had really bad headaches. He complained about them all the time and he was frustrated with being passed from pillar to post. He’d make an appointment with his GP, who would advise him to see his Optician and so on. The batting him back and forth between his GP & his Optician went on for months until finally, he was referred for a neurological appointment at our local hospital.

One afternoon, as I was nursing my son Jacob, who was barely two months at the time, I got a phone call. My Dad was rushed into hospital, it was bad and I was advised to make it there as soon as I could. So, I did. I handed the baby over to my Husband and off I went. Within 30mins I was there and we were all asked to wait in a family room. Which, in my opinion, is the worst possible place to be. That is a place you’re asked to be when things are bad.

After a long while, my Dad’s Neuro-Doctor came in to explain a few things. My Dad had just undergone emergency brain surgery because the cerebral fluid in his brain was being blocked from flowing freely. This caused intracranial pressure and if he wasn’t brought in when he was, he would not have made it. That was a jolt into reality right there. From whatever dark place my head was sitting in, hearing that statement brought me back into the room.

The words no family wants to hear…

He continued to tell us that the fluid drained from my Dads brain was honey in colour and I just muttered, without hesitation “Tumour” and the neurologist replied, “Yes, a tumour”. That’s when my little Brother fell apart and I became sharp as a knife. The main and most positive thing after that chat with the neurologist was that the life-threatening aspect of my Dads condition had been eliminated. Which was the prevention of free-flowing cerebral fluid.

We managed to see him in the early hours of the morning when he was in recovery. He was confused and covered in wires, but he was alive. Fast forward two weeks and as he resided in hospital, not having a single clue what was happening with his tumour {which was nothing short of traumatic for him}, all he knew was that it was benign {thank goodness!} and he was scheduled for a biopsy.

Before my Dad went in for his biopsy, over that week, our Grandmother sadly passed away. She always called my Dad her wee ‘Tweety bird’ and I know he secretly adored that. And as a weird twist of fate would have it, during my Grandmother’s wake, I received a phone call. It was my StepMum and I just remember hearing her words and being in pure shock. Because she said to me “They got the whole tumour”…I couldn’t believe it.

Luckiest man in the world

When the surgeons went in to take a biopsy of my Dads tumour, they realised that it wasn’t connected by bloody vessels. It was amazingly able to be just…peeled off of his cerebrum. After some research, this was {I think} a Meningioma Brain tumour. They are slow-growing and grow on the surface of the brain {on layers of tissue}, rather than in it.

He has some war wounds, that include two penny-sized drainage holes on either side of his skull. An egg-shaped hole in the back of his brain and an eight-inch scar down the back of his head. But he is here to tell the tale and once I saw this challenge to run 26 miles for Brain Tumour research to raise vital funds, it was a no brainer. Pun intended! 

Brain Tumour Research UK

Brain Tumours do not care about who you are or what age you celebrated turning this year. They can affect anyone at any age and that’s a scary prospect. Did you know that brain tumours kill more children & adults under 40 than any other cancer? That’s a shocking fact, isn’t it? Yet, just 1% of national cancer research funding is allocated to the research of this devastating illness.

The Brain Tumour Research charity group has a focus and that is to find a cure for brain tumours. Wouldn’t that be a wondrous thing? To have a cure for something that kills anyone, at any age. They are building a network of experts in sustainable research at dedicated centres of excellence. All while influencing the government and larger cancer charities to invest more into the research of brain tumours, more nationally. You can read more about the research strategy of the Brain Tumour Research Charity via that link.

Donation link below…

You can donate by popping over to my Facebook Fundraising Page for Brain Tumour Research. And if you can donate, I would appreciate it so much. Even a single £1 can make a difference. And if you cannot donate? That’s OK too. But maybe help me spread the word? Share my stories on Instagram, or my fundraising page on Facebook. Every little bit of funding or social media support can help and I appreciate everything and anything anyone does. So in advance, a thousand thank yous.

I had this thought that I have over 3.5k followers on my Super Busy Mum Facebook Page, over 300 on my personal Facebook. I have an amazing following on Instagram of over 7k and can you imagine, just for a second, if everyone donated just £1? Can you imagine the impact of that money going to something as important as Brain Tumour research could do? It’s just mindblowing at the thought of it.

But if I can even raise my target of £250, I’ll be content and knowing I have your support as I run/jog 26 miles throughout May is something pretty special too.

Thank you so much for your time. Whether you donate, share this post or my socials, or just take the time to read this. Thank you.