Support Ryan & The Brain Tumour Charity

Myself, my husband & our dogs are climbing 10 Peaks in 7 days to fundraise for 2 VERY important reasons ⛰️❤️

Not many of you will know this news yet because although my twin brother has a rather large mouth, he rarely uses it to tell people of his afflictions. Instead, his gaping hole is used to make people laugh OR to make them yawn with his intricate knowledge of World War 2 planes!

Everyone who knows Ryan, can think of at least one time that he helped someone without any prompts. He jumps at the chance to give his friends, family and complete strangers a hand, no matter the inconvenience to him! As his twin sister, after years of financial & emotional support FROM him, I’m asking for a little practical support FOR him in return.

Ryan is the most altruistic person I know, he would never ask for (or expect) help and the idea of us requesting it on his behalf would turn him PURPLE. However, the fact is- this IS NOT only for Ryan…

When you learn that a family member has an untreatable brain tumour, it's natural to ask what you can say or do to help. It's also natural to feel hopeless & inadequate when the reality is, nothing can be done to stop & treat Ryan’s brain tumour.

So actually, this entire fundraising project is not only for Ryan, but also for his friends & family. In making a small donation, you can be comforted that you’ve offered some practical support. It isn’t going to get rid of the tumour, but it might slightly improve an incredibly shit, unfair and difficult situation for Ryan, Carla & Little Harry. 50% of donations will be given to them during this period of sudden adversity, whilst the other 50% will be given to The Brain Tumour Charity to support crucial, much needed research as well as fund support for other families in a similar situation.

For context: One of the side effects of the tumour include seizures and so Ryan is currently unable to drive. As if a petrol-head having to get in the car with his twin sister at the wheel wasn’t traumatic enough; he has also undergone brain surgery to remove some of the tumour. The recovery of this, as well as countless appointments & medication effects, means a lot of time off of work. Whilst I would adore a lay in, for a self-employed, hardworking and fiercely independent Ryan this is proving particularly difficult.

Ryan is a firm believer that if you are going to do something, you might as well do it properly and so instead of just an ‘average’ brain tumour, he has decided to go and get a really, really rare one. In his words, Pokemon ‘shiny’ level of rare, whereby there is limited data and so he & his family are left with very few answers to the big questions. All we know is that it wont be stopped. Our best hope is that medication can slow down the growth. Very kindly, Ryan shared the womb with me, but took certain genetics all for himself- he has a BRAF mutation that means his cells are likely to turn cancerous… I did try to wait until at least this far down to mention the C word!

True to his personality, Ryan has turned this into a positive and has enrolled himself into a medical trial by DETERMINE to support research and development into medications for rare cancers. EVEN NOW he is helping others. Ultimately, whilst we know there is no cure, we are hoping the medication can slow down the tumour.

To confirm, half of the donations made will go to The Brain Tumour Charity to continue research and support for rare tumours. So thank you in advance to the friends, family and kind strangers who would like to donate to both The Brain Tumour Charity & Practical Support for Ryan.

The DETERMINE medical Trial:

DETERMINE is the first UK national precision medicine trial in rare cancers, testing a range of therapies specifically targeting key genetic changes in cancer cells.

The Brain Tumour Charity:

https://www.thebraintumourcharity.org/