A father’s world is turned upside down when he is diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor – while his daughter was already battling leukemia.
Richard Brown, 46, of Dorking, Surrey, was excited to see his young daughter, Mabel, now five, ring the bell to signal the end of her leukemia treatment in August 2022.
However, when that day came, he was in another ward of the same hospital, receiving radiotherapy for his cancer.
The father of two, who works in communications for an engineering firm, was diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM) — which has a typical life expectancy of just 12-18 months — in May 2022.
He had an unexpected epileptic seizure before he was diagnosed, and an MRI scan revealed a mass in his brain before he underwent an awake craniotomy — surgery to remove part of the bone from the skull to expose the brain.
Father (pictured with his family) ‘whole world turned upside down’ when he was diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor – while his daughter was already battling leukemia
During the operation, he had to keep talking to surgeons to reduce the risk of damaging healthy areas of his brain.
While Mabel finished treatment in August 2022, Richard continued his fight and began cutting-edge immunotherapy in Germany in November 2022.
Richard’s wife Holly, 43, a former creative director, said: ‘Discovering that Richard had an inoperable brain tumor while Mabel was still receiving cancer treatment is incomprehensible.
Our whole world has turned upside down again. For cancer to strike our family twice like this was devastating and terrifying.
Mabel was diagnosed when she was two and a half years old and has endured more than two years of grueling treatment. She is now five years old and in school after being granted a permit.
The family — including Richard’s eldest daughter, Evie, 10 — had been planning a summer to celebrate after Mabel’s successful treatment. Instead, they jump from one cancer journey directly to the next.
Richard begins having sudden, full-body seizures and blackouts. He was told that the treatment might buy him time, but it wouldn’t cure him.
Holly said: ‘It’s awful how completely different Mabel and Richard’s journeys have been – based on what type of cancer they have.
Richard Brown, 46, of Dorking, Surrey, was excited to see his young daughter, Mabel (pictured in hospital), now five, ring the bell to signal the end of her leukemia treatment in August 2022.
However, when that day came, Richard (pictured with his daughters) was in another ward of the same hospital, receiving radiotherapy for his cancer.
He has been told to move away and live the best life he can any time he leaves. I can’t believe how effective brain tumor treatments are, or that they haven’t changed in over two decades.
After exhausting the NHS standard of care – including chemotherapy and radiotherapy – Richard’s tumor continued to grow and all treatment stopped, with talks turning to palliative care.
While Richard did not accept his diagnosis, he fought to find a promising new treatment.
After extensive research, Richard started cutting-edge immunotherapy in Germany in November 2022 and his tumor began to shrink.
Immunotherapy harnesses the power of people’s immune systems to identify and destroy cancer cells.
It has proven successful in some types of cancer, and leading experts in the field believe it has promise as a new treatment.
Holly added: “Starting immunotherapy was a very positive step for Richard. For the first time, he felt like he was in control of his treatment.
After eight weeks we had amazing news – the tumor was shrinking. Immunotherapy in Germany was a success and we were blown away – this was beyond all his home doctors’ expectations.
“Unfortunately, brain tumors are fundamentally underfunded and under-researched in this country, so Richard’s only option is to travel to Germany every month to get this treatment and it’s very expensive.”
Family created “Daddy’s Brain Bug” Fundraising Campaign to pay for treatment costs. Immunotherapy, plus additional prescription drugs, supplements and travel expenses costs £9,000 per month.
The father of two (pictured), who works in communications for an engineering firm, was diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM) — which carries a typical life expectancy of just 12 to 18 months — in May 2022
Richard had an unexpected epileptic seizure before he was diagnosed and an MRI scan showed a mass in his brain before he underwent an awake craniotomy – surgery to remove part of the bone from the skull to expose the brain. Pictured are Mabel and Evie
During the operation, Richard had to continue talking to surgeons to reduce the risk of damaging healthy areas of his brain. Pictured, Evie and Mabel
Holly said: ‘We can’t afford this treatment ourselves. We are counting on the generosity of others to pay for this treatment and save my husband’s life. I worked tirelessly to change the outcome for Richard.
But it shouldn’t be like this. With more funding and research into brain tumors, more promising therapies, such as immunotherapy, will be available in this country today.
“We are very sorry to hear about Richard’s diagnosis, especially during what should have been such a respite for the family,” said Dr. Karen Noble, director of research, policy and innovation at Brain Tumor Research.
No cancer is easy to deal with, and it is gratifying to know that Mabel has successfully beaten leukemia. It just goes to show the stark difference in survival rates between cancers.
While Mabel (pictured in hospital) finished treatment in August 2022, Richard continues his fight and began cutting-edge immunotherapy in Germany in November 2022.
“Discovering that Richard had an inoperable brain tumor while Mabel was still receiving cancer treatment is incomprehensible,” said Richard’s wife, Holly, 43, a former creative director. Pictured is Richard Brown’s brain scan
Picture Richard holding Mabel’s hand in the hospital. You can donate to Daddy’s Brain Bug campaign here: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/daddys-brain-bug
Only 12 percent of all brain tumor patients survive after five years, compared to an average of 54 percent in all other cancers.
This must change, but will only be achieved with more research into this devastating disease.
“We as a charity cannot shoulder the burden of this alone; the government must step up and invest in brain tumor research.
You can donate to Daddy’s Brain Bug campaign here: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/daddys-brain-bug.
