A FATHER with an aggressive and incurable brain tumour is desperate to have further treatment to prolong his life.

But Graham Wood’s treatment has been postponed as hospitals are hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

The 36-year old from Pevensey was diagnosed with a grade three Anaplastic Astrocytoma six years ago.

The rare condition is a type of brain tumour which develops in star-like cellscalled astorcytes... part of the tissue that protects the nerve cells in your brain and spinal cord.

At grade three, the tumour is fast-growing and cancerous.

Despite initially only being given three years to live, he continues to battle with the brain tumour and aims to make the most of each day with his wife, Amber, and their five-year-old son, Reuben.

He relies on chemotherapy to treat the condition, with the therapy shown to prolong the lives of patients.

But, following the outbreak of coronavirus and the sudden surge in demand on hospitals across the country, his chemotherapy has been postponed.

Graham said: “Having outlived my prognosis, seeing Reuben grow up brings me a lot of joy. I remember when he started school two years ago – it was an incredibly moving day and one I feared I would never see.

“I just hope that I’m able to have chemotherapy soon, so I can make more wonderful memories with my family.”

But he said it was hard to go about his day-to-day life without thinking about the condition.

Graham said: “I try to live in the present and to not worry about what hasn’t happened, though it’s harder to remain positive during this pandemic. The outbreak has also made me realise how important scientific research is.”

He now wants to have the treatment as soon as possible.

Graham said: “I was gutted to learn that my treatment, a chemotherapy clinical trial at St Guy’s Hospital, had been postponed. I’m all too aware that there’s cancer growing in my brain and I just want to do something about it as soon as I can. Now I just have to wait.

“The doctors said the trial will still go ahead but they can’t give me a date. Coronavirus is having a huge impact on patients like me across the country, who may also be immuno-suppressed.”

Graham’s experiences with his brain tumour have led him to become involved with charity Brain Tumour Research.

The organisation has just finished marking Brain Tumour Awareness Month, which ran through March and culminated in the annual Wear a Hat Day event on Friday.

Now in its 11th year, it has raised more than £1.25 million to help fund the fight against the condition.

Hugh Adams of Brain Tumour Research said: “We are very grateful to Graham for sharing his powerful story and we feel for him and his family at this desperately uncertain time.

“This is a particularly important time to get behind Brain Tumour Research, as coronavirus represents an unprecedented threat to the charity sector.”

He added: “Investment in scientific research has never been more important: as the world is gripped in a global health crisis, we are looking to scientists to find a cure.”