A LOVING-SON who completed a marathon in memory of his dad, has funded seven days of research into finding a cure for brain tumours.
Malcolm Boyd from Wellesbourne lost his dad Arthur last year to an aggressive brain tumour.
And in his memory Malcolm completed the Cotswold Way 107-mile ultra-marathon in June to raise funds for Brain Tumour Research.
The runner raised nearly £20,000 for the charity, enough to fund a week’s worth of research.
And Malcolm was invited to place seven tiles in his dad’s memory on the Wall of Hope at Brain Tumour Research’s Centre of Excellence.
Malcolm and his wife Caroline were given a tour of the research facility at Queen Mary University of London and heard from Professor Silvia Marino about the work taking place to better understand the condition.
Arthur was diagnosed with grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) – one of the most deadly and most common types of brain tumour for which few treatment options are available.
As well as helping fund vital research, Malcom’s ‘100 miles for Dad’ helped raise awareness of brain tumours which kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.
Malcolm said: “I am committed to raising awareness, and funding for research is incredibly important. Less than 20 per cent of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50 per cent across all cancers. For GBM patients, like my father, the survival prognosis is usually 12 to 18 months, but in his case sadly he survived just six months.
“An increase in funding for research into brain tumours is vital if we are to prevent other families enduring the same painful journey as ours.”
The charity is campaigning to see the national spend on research into brain tumours increased to around £30million a year, in line with breast cancer and leukaemia.
Visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/100milesfordad to donate to Malcom’s cause.
