Family from Bucks living with brain tumours urging people to sign petition
A petition calling on more investment into brain tumour research ends today.
Last updated 31st Oct 2023
The Brain Tumour Research charity launched a petition earlier this month to campaign for more research investment.
With only 1% of cancer research funding allocated to brain tumours, it is also be the biggest cancer killer of people under the age of 40, including a large proportion of children and babies.
If it reaches 100,000 signatures the Government will have to respond to the petition.
Amongst families navigating their daily life around brain tumours is the Jamieson family from Emberton, in Buckinghamshire.
"You just feel so helpless..."
Dad to Hollie and husband to Anita, Colin Jamieson was diagnosed in 2018, after suffering pain in his body, which made it difficult for him to walk.
He then suffered from severe short-term memory loss, until scans found tumours on his brain.
His wife Anita spoke of the moment they found out what was going on and that he needed surgery.
She said: "you just feel so helpless, you don't know the answers to the questions, you obviously know the risks of the surgery because they've told you the risks."
"You just want to know everything in one go which you obviously can't."
Followed years of hospital visits, scans, and regular medical appointments.
Although Colin's tumours are not cancerous and have stabilised, his short-term memory suffered greatly and he still experiences several health issues.
Anita said: "Things are not as they used to be with Colin, which is hard for us as a family to adjust to, because Colin used to be kind and caring whereas now things are more of a problem."
"...I needed to be strong for everybody else."
In the middle of dealing with adapting their life to Colin's condition, Anita found out she also had a brain tumour.
She said: "I didn't know what to expect because what we'd been through with Colin was so horrific if I'm honest that I didn't want to have to do the same for myself when I needed to be strong for everybody else."
Anita insisted her family could not have gone through the last few years without the support they received from friends, family, neighbours, and the community in Emberton.
Colin and Anita's daughter Hollie, 12, has, herself, been campaigning to raise awareness and money for brain tumour research.
Last year, she prepared a presentation for her whole year at school to inform fellow students of the illness.
She said: "It took me a few weeks to be able to word the presentation right to be able to tell people at my school, because they're not adults."
"It definitely did help them understand better because a lot of my friends that new about my dad having brain tumours didn't understand properly what they were and what they could do."
"...the statistics around young people are particularly shocking."
The Jamieson family is joining the national campaign calling for more investment in brain tumour research.
Five years ago, the Government announced ÂŁ40 million would be unlocked for brain cancer research, but, according to the charity Brain Tumour Research, just ÂŁ10.7 million has been spent.
Hugh Adams, spokesperson for Brain Tumour UK, said: "It's really straight forward to us that we need parity of funding, and if we can get the same as other areas have had, then we can have some of the advances made in Leukaemia for example."
"With other cancers there are mitigating factors that perhaps you can take into account if you want to lessen your risk of getting them. That isn't the case with brain tumours and that's why the statistics around young people are particularly shocking."
The petition closes today, with just under 20,000 signatures left to reach their goal.
You can find the petition and additional information here.