Dad reaches halfway point of running challenge in memory of teenage son

A father whose teenage son died of brain cancer is halfway through six marathons in his memory.

Frank James Lee, from Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, was 15 when he died after being diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM).

Raising money for Brain Tumor Research, Mr Lee said the challenge gave him “something to focus on” after his son’s death.

“Every time my mind starts to wander and sadness hits me, I put on my shoes and clear my head,” he said.

In 2017, Frank experienced persistent headaches and nausea, which led doctors to find a high-grade brain tumor.

The discovery came after he collapsed at home and died two years later in 2019.

Since his son’s death, Mr Lee said he wanted to raise money after realizing “very little funding goes into research into the disease”.

“It makes my blood boil,” he said.

“As a family, we knew nothing about this disease until it completely changed our lives.”

“I find it so hard to talk about Little Frank and a few years ago I’m not sure I would have been able to. But I know I have to do it to prevent more parents from losing their sons like we did,” added Mr Lee.

Running with a group of friends known as ‘Team Breed’, Mr Lee has so far competed in marathons in London, Boston and Tokyo.

Mr Lee said: “I couldn’t have made it this far without all the Team Breed boys who joined me running around the world and remembering Little Frank who was such an energetic and sporting child.”

More than £27,000 has been raised so far, which he hopes to double once he takes part in the second half of his challenge, completing marathons in Berlin in September, followed by Chicago in October and New York in November.

Louise Aubrey, community development manager at Brain Tumor Research, which funds research in dedicated centers across the UK, said the charity was “so grateful” to Mr Lee for his “incredible fundraising”.

“Unfortunately, there are so many stories just like Frank and his son. So many young people are affected by the disease, yet only 1% of national cancer research spending has been allocated to brain tumors since records began in 2002,” she added.

According to the NHS, the symptoms of a brain tumor vary depending on the exact part of the brain affected, but common symptoms include:

Some people may have no symptoms at first, or they may develop very slowly over time.