Parents tell of 'anger' as brain tumour killed son ‘lightning quick’
Fit and healthy Droitwich man Oliver Amess soon became physically sick and experienced episodes of speaking nonsense
Worcestershire parents who lost their only child just weeks after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour have spoken of their “anger” at the lack of funding to research the disease.
Robin and Wendy’s son Oliver Amess died in January 2022, just 20 days after he was diagnosed with a high-grade brain tumour. It followed a sudden onset of headaches and blurred vision.
The “fit and healthy” 26-year-old from Droitwich, who was a keen Wolverhampton Wanderers fan, soon became physically sick and experienced episodes of speaking nonsense.
Robin, 56, who works for Severn Trent Water said: “We’re angry. There seems to be money invested in other conditions and cancers however brain tumours are at the bottom of the pile.
“Oli was never a sickly lad; we can’t remember the last time he went to the GP. He never complained of being ill and would get on with things.
“When he came home a day early from staying over at his girlfriend’s house and told us he was apparently talking nonsense at the dinner table the evening before and had been vomiting all night, we knew something was wrong.”
At the time, Oli was working as a dental technician. He was also a founding member of a computer games company having graduated with a first in Computer Games Art from the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham.
He was then rushed to hospital where he had emergency surgery to drain the build-up of fluid on his brain – but he never fully woke up.
Robin added: “Time rocketed by. There were talks of Oli having a tracheotomy but the time was never right as he wasn’t getting any better. At the end of the third week in hospital, conversations with the surgeons and consultants became hopeless and there was nothing that could save our boy.”
Oli died in hospital on 28 January 2022, with his loving parents by his side.
Robin and Wendy are now campaigning alongside the charity Brain Tumour Research to help reach 100,000 signatures on its petition to increase research funding, in the hope of prompting a parliamentary debate.
The charity is calling on the Government to ring-fence £110 million of current and new funding to kick-start an increase in the national investment in brain tumour research to £35 million a year by 2028.
Robin said: “For us, everything happened so lightning quick, Oli was taken away in an ambulance and we never got to speak again. We never got our battle, which you read so much about with other families trying to do what they can to save their children and loved ones. In a way, I’m glad that Oli didn’t have to suffer for months or even years.”
Brain Tumour Research wants the Government to recognise brain tumour research as a critical priority. It says the increase in research investment would put brain tumours in line with the spend on cancers of breast, bowel and lung, as well as leukaemia.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Brain cancer can be a devastating disease - which is why we’ve specifically allocated £40 million for research in this area, on top of £1 billion a year for wider health research.
“We’ve invested in every suitable application made and the funding will continue to be available for further studies to develop new treatments and therapies for brain tumours.
“To encourage further successful applications, we are investing in infrastructure, workshops for researchers and training for clinicians.”