A WELLINGTON woman is raising money to fight brain cancer after her son-in-law was diagnosed with a ‘tennis ball size’ tumour.
Family and friends of Dan Wyatt have set up a ‘Team Danny’ to raise funds and awareness of the aggressive oligodendroglioma brain cancer with which he was diagnosed last September.
Wellington father-of-four Dan thought the migraines he started suffering at the age of 34 were due to spending more time in the office staring at screens.
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But opticians found nothing wrong with his eyesight, and a few months later he checked himself into the accident and emergency department of Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, after suffering from severe dizziness.
A scan revealed Dan had been living with a tumour and doctors said if they did not operate he would be dead within two months.
Now, Dan’s mother-in-law Sarah Back is to take on the Brain Tumour Research Cycle 274 Miles in August challenge, not knowing how much time he has left.
Mrs Back said: “We have been told it could be as little as weeks, or at best it could be 14 years, we just do not know.
“Before Dan, I was so ignorant of the impact of brain tumours.
“When I found out that the disease kills more people under 40 than any other cancer, it took my breath away.”
‘Team Danny’ has so far raised more than £12,000 to support Dan, while every adult member has had a tattoo which celebrates their connection to him.
Mrs Back said: “Family, whether connected by blood or marriage, means everything to me.
“How Dan has remained so positive has been an inspiration. He is ready to do whatever it takes, and so is ‘Team Danny’.
“If I ever feel like giving up, I will think of Dan, because he cannot afford to give up for even a moment.
“It is not just about raising vital funds for Dan, it is about raising awareness for brain cancer, about shouting from the hilltops that we will not back down.
“Here is to every pedal turned in the name of love, hope, and resilience.
“We must keep supporting and fighting for a world where brain cancer is just a memory.”
Brain Tumour Research (BTR) community development manager Louise Aubrey said: “We are so grateful to Sarah and the whole of ‘Team Danny’ who have rallied around Dan so resiliently.
“Brain tumours are indiscriminate, they can affect anybody at any age.
“Sadly, so many people under the age of 40 suffer from the disease, and Dan’s story is not an anomaly.
“Only by funding more research can we find a cure together.”
BTR funds sustainable research at dedicated UK centres and campaigns for Government and 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.