Main fundraiser photo

Bens fundraiser for Brain Tumour research

Ben and other local DJs will take to the decks on on 26 March, for a night of music and fundraising as part of the charity’s iconic Wear A Hat Day on 25 March. Guests will be encouraged to wear their favourite hat for an evening of entertainment to fundraise for the cause after Ben’s own diagnosis with the deadly disease.

Ben served five and a half years as a sapper in the British Army, including serving in Kenya and The Falklands, was just 20 when, in 2015 he suffered a seizure out of the blue whilst at work at chetwynd barracks in Nottingham. Ben was rushed to Cheltenham hospital where a scan showed tiny lesions, thought to be tumours, growing on his brain and he was told he had just two weeks to live.

After further tests, a week later, doctors changed their assessment and said the tiny lesions were actually a form of epilepsy known as cortical dysplasia, and he was given medication to keep his seizures under control.

In September 2020, his seizures became more frequent and severe and a scan at Southmead Hospital in Bristol revealed the devastating news the lesions were in fact tumours growing on his brain.

Two months later, Ben had an operation during which surgeons removed 90% of the large tumour, with the remaining two deemed inoperable, due to their location on the brain.

Ben said: “The lesions were initially described as ‘birth marks’ on my brain and started off the size of a pinhead. By the time I had surgery, they were huge in comparison, the size of a golf ball.”

Ben had three months of radiotherapy at the beginning of 2021 and is due to finish 12 months of chemotherapy in August this year. Meanwhile, Ben has been medically discharged from the Army.

He added: “It’s hard to get your head round being told you have a brain tumour, let alone being given a limited amount of time to live.

I have learnt to accept it and I’m at peace with it. It puts things into perspective and has encouraged me to use my positive mindset to help others who are struggling with their own diagnosis.”

Do you want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money in aid of Brain Tumour Research and every donation will help. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

More information about Brain Tumour Research: Brain Tumour Research is dedicated to raising funds for continuous and sustainable scientific research into brain tumours, and we are a leading voice calling for greater support and action for research into what scientists are calling the last battleground against cancer.

Organizer

Kelly White
Organizer
England
Brain Tumour Research
 
Registered nonprofit
Donations eligible for Gift Aid.

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