Wellesbourne man to run 2020 London Marathon for Brain Tumour Research charity to honour late father

Malcolm and Caroline Boyd, from Wellesbourne, and their children Juliet, aged 9, and Noah, aged 7, are taking centre stage during Brain Tumour Awareness Month this March.

The family know all too well the devastation brain tumours can cause, following the death of Malcolm’s father to the disease four years ago.

Arthur Boyd, from Holywood, County Down, died just six months after his diagnosis with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) – a highly aggressive type of tumour – aged 69.

Malcolm, a 39-year-old design engineer at DCA Design International, a product design consultancy based in Warwick, said: “I can’t put into words how much dad meant to my family. He was a rock, always there.

"In some ways, it feels like forever since he died, but in other ways it feels like yesterday. Noah was just three years old when dad passed away and it makes me sad to think of all the happy memories dad will miss out on. He would have loved to see his grandchildren grow up.

“Through my work, I help design medical devices, including some radiotherapy equipment. It is rewarding and comforting to know I am playing a small part in helping others. I want to do all I can to raise awareness and vital funds for research into brain tumours to prevent others experiencing the heartbreak that my family has faced.”

The Boyds have joined other families across the UK whose images are being seen across the country as the marketing campaign is launched for Brain Tumour Awareness Month.

The month culminates in Wear A Hat Day on Friday March 27. Now in its 11th year, Wear A Hat Day has raised more than £1.25 million to help fund the fight against the disease.

Malcolm will be running the Virgin Money London Marathon in April 2020 in aid of Brain Tumour Research.

To sponsor Malcolm go to www.justgiving.com/londonmarathon-beatcancerHe added: “My grief comes in waves. It isn’t a linear process and sometimes it can hit me out of the blue. Running has helped me through tough times in dealing with the loss of my dad and gives me an opportunity make a difference.

“Having taken part in a number of fundraisers for Brain Tumour Research, including a 100-mile ultra marathon the year after dad died. I’m excited for this next challenge.

"I want to complete the marathon as quickly as possible, rather than just make it past the finish line. I am hoping to raise £3,900 to help fund the fight against the disease.”

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet, historically, just 1 per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.

Brain Tumour Research is the only national charity in the UK singularly focused on finding a cure for brain tumours through campaigning for an increase in the national investment into research to £35 million per year. It is also fundraising to create a sustainable network of brain tumour research centres in the UK.

Sue Farrington Smith MBE, chief executive of Brain Tumour Research, said: “When my sister’s little girl, Alison Phelan, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in August 2000, we were shocked and horrified to learn that there was no cure.

"We lost her just 10 months later, three weeks before her eighth birthday. Some 5,500 families in the UK are given the same awful news each year, yet there is still a paucity of treatments for brain tumour patients; 20 years on, lives continue to be devastated.

“Less than 20 per cent of patients survive beyond five years of their diagnosis whereas for cancers such as breast and leukaemia the figures are 86 per cent and 51 per cent respectively because of greater investment for research in those areas.

“Unlike many other cancers, brain tumours are indiscriminate. They can affect anyone at any time, regardless of age, gender, race or lifestyle. Too little is known about the causes and that is why increased investment in research is vital if we are to improve outcomes for patients and, ultimately, find a cure.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and the larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure.