Shropshire dad inspired by son takes on month long challenge raising money for brain tumours
1% of the national spend on cancer research goes to brain tumours.
A teenager diagnosed with an ultra-rare brain tumour has inspired his father to take on a month-long walking challenge to raise money to help find a cure for the devastating disease.
Ian Bateman, 53, from Oakengates in Shropshire is preparing to take part in 10,000 Steps a Day in February for the charity Brain Tumour Research.
His fundraiser comes just two months after his 18-year-old son, Ben, finished treatment for an astroblastoma he was diagnosed with in April 2022, a form of brain cancer so rare that it affects fewer than one in a million. Forcing him to delay a career in the Royal Navy.
Former paramedic Ian, said: “It was terrifying to find out Ben had brain cancer let alone its type was so rare that doctors didn’t know how to treat it.
“The first sign that there was anything wrong with Ben was when his school called me to say he was poorly. When I went to pick him up, he was sweating profusely and I thought he could have meningitis.
"Test results found he had a UTI which caused him to feel so unwell and led to a scan which found his brain tumour.”
In April 2022, during a 12-hour operation, surgeons removed the orange-sized mass from Ben’s brain.
Ian continued: “The operation caused the loss of Ben’s right-sided peripheral vision in both eyes and chemo was extremely brutal for him, with sickness and weight loss, and his sleeping can be sporadic which means fatigue is an issue.
"He’s now monitored with regular scans and we don’t know if it will grow back.”
Ben is now studying aviation at Telford College and is hoping for two years of clear scans so he can fulfil his dream of joining the military.
Next month, Ian who has paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, will be walking 10,000 steps every day to raise awareness of brain tumours to help find kinder treatments for patients.
He said: “This will be tough for me as I navigate my own health concerns but it’s incredibly important to talk about brain tumours and make people aware that they are happening to people now.
"If we are to understand each type and how it can be treated, we need the correct investment into research.”
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002.
Dr Karen Noble, director of policy and research at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Ben’s diagnosis reminds us that there are more than 137 types of brain tumours which can affect anyone at any age. Astroblastomas make up 1% of malignant brain tumours which means that are extremely rare - affecting less than one in a million.
“The fact that doctors sought treatment advice from colleagues overseas demonstrates the need for greater investment to research brain tumours.”
Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the 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.