A bereaved daughter from Battersea is taking on the London Marathon with her siblings in pursuit of improved outcomes for brain tumour patients and, ultimately, a cure.
Following the brain tumour death of Graham Addison, a former stockbroker from Surrey, Suzie Addison and her four siblings are training for the London Marathon, which is held on April 28.
Team Graham will aim to complete the 26.2 mile (42.1 km) course and raise £20,000 for the Brain Tumour Research charity.
Brothers Stuart, Ben and Anthony and sisters Jenny and Suzie are motivated by the historic underfunding of research into brain tumours.
Suzie, a solicitor from Battersea, who will also be joined by her fiancé Humphrey, said: “The London Marathon is going to be a huge challenge but we want to prevent other families going through what ours has, and the only way to do that is through more research into brain tumours.
“My dad’s diagnosis devastated our family and sadly there are thousands of other families experiencing the same hopeless situation. I hope we hit our target and inspire others to support the cause.”
Graham Addison died in September 2016 after a 13-month battle against a brain tumour.
He was diagnosed with the highly aggressive tumour following advice from a doctor at a family party who by chance noticed Graham had poor balance.
The former stockbroker responded well to surgery and treatment but deteriorated rapidly after a second operation. He died aged 66, leaving behind his wife, five children and nine grandchildren.
Janice Wright, community fundraising manager for Brain Tumour Research in London, said: “Best of luck to Team Graham as they train for the London Marathon. We appreciate their support and thank them for helping us to fund the fight.
“Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. Graham’s story reminds us that less than 20% of those diagnosed with brain tumours survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers. We cannot allow this situation to continue.”
To make a donation to Brain Tumour Research via Team Addison’s JustGiving page, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/remembering-Graham
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