The world has lost an incredibly talented and kind young man – and what Tom has done for so many people affected by brain tumours in the last year, alongside everything he and his family were going through personally, is nothing short of inspirational. His warmth, campaigning heart and his determination to continue living life with cancer in the face of such a devastating diagnosis have given hope to so many and he will be so sorely missed.
From the support and hope he has given to so many others, to his passion for raising awareness of the disease’s impact and his dedicated calls for greater research funding to deliver long-awaited progress on brain tumours, he has made an incredible impact in such a short space of time.
We were incredibly touched by the band’s decision this month to donate £1 to The Brain Tumour Charity from every ticket sold to their ‘Most Wanted UK’ tour to help us make life-changing research and support possible – and we were also delighted to see Tom working with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Brain Tumours to highlight the need for greater funding.
Tom’s death at such a young age is another extremely painful reminder of just how much there is to do to on brain tumours, to find new treatments and improve survival and quality of life for those affected.
Brain tumours remain the leading cause of cancer death in children and adults under 40. Around 12,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year and while we have seen some encouraging steps forward in both research and care in recent years, we know progress isn’t happening fast enough and we need to act now. We urgently need to see greater investment in world-class research, to help diagnose the disease earlier, to better understand the causes and find new treatments, in order to give those affected hope of more time to live and a better quality of life. A cure can’t wait.
We know this devastating news will come as a huge shock and may be distressing for many – please know we are here for you and anyone can contact our Support and Info Line for support, advice or information at thebraintumourcharity.org.
Image credit: Manchester Evening News