Grandmother's wing walk in support of brain tumour son
Tom Claypole was diagnosed a year ago
A 68-year-old grandmother will take to the skies this weekend to raise money for research into brain tumours after her son was diagnosed with the disease.
Sylvia Claypole, 68, will perform a wing walk on a biplane to raise money for the Brain Tumour Research charity. It comes after her son, Tom Claypole, 40, a father-of two from Swanwick in Derbyshire, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumour in September 2021.
Sylvia and husband Darryl, 70, who is the managing director of City Couriers Direct in Chesterfield, first realised something was wrong in February 2021 when Tom suffered from constant headaches.
Grandmother of five Sylvia said: “Tom’s GP and the doctors at King’s Mill Hospital in Sutton-in-Ashfield all said he had migraines.
“Then, on 20 August, when he was at work at City Couriers Direct, one of Tom’s colleagues saw him black out while he was driving a van. Afterwards, Tom went for a walk, but he fell over and had a seizure.
“He then walked back into the office, but he didn’t know what had just happened.”
Tom’s wife, Tammy, took him straight to Kings Mill Hospital. A few hours later, he was transferred to Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham. An MRI scan revealed that Tom had a brain tumour.
Surgeons removed a “substantial” part of the tumour, saying the procedure had gone well. Unfortunately, the growth was an aggressive and incurable glioblastoma (GBM).
Sylvia said: “When I was told, I just broke down. It was a terrible time, and I kept on thinking that it couldn’t be true. When I found out the tumour was the worst type you could get, I cried for a very long time.”
Tom, dad to Shadean, 21, and Chardonnay, 17, has undergone chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which leaves him feeling extremely tired.
Now, Sylvia will perform a wing walk on a biplane from Wickenby Airfield in Lincolnshire on Saturday 27 August. It is one of a number of fundraising events the family has organised as they plan to raise more than £100,000 in three years for Brain Tumour Research. In July, Sylvia’s husband Darryl completed an 874-mile virtual cycle ride from John O’Groats to Land’s End, raising over £7,500.
Sylvia said: “I thought that this is something I could do, and I’ve got to do it now because people are depending on me. I’ve been trying to not think about it too much, but now it’s fast approaching!
“I don’t know how he did it, but Darryl completed his bike challenge. Some days he was so tired, but he was so determined to do it, so I’m now doing my bit.
“I didn’t know anything about brain tumours before Tom’s diagnosis, but I can’t believe that just 1% of the national spend on cancer research is allocated to this devastating disease.
“If I can do just a little bit then it could help the next person who finds themselves in this terrible situation. There needs to be a lot more research into brain tumours so that we can eventually find a cure.”
Sylvia and Darryl are also planning to tackle Ben Nevis in September and have plans for other challenges later this year.
Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research said: “Sylvia is taking on an incredible challenge and we are very grateful to her and her family for all they are doing to progress our research into brain tumours. This research will improve the outcome for patients like Tom who are forced to fight this awful disease.
“Brain tumours are indiscriminate. They can affect anyone at any time. Too little is known about the causes and that is why increased investment in research is vital.”
Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and the 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. The charity is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of ÂŁ35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia and is also campaigning for greater repurposing of drugs.
To donate to Sylvia’s fundraising page, visit:
justgiving.com/fundraising/Sylvia-Claypole