The father who had trouble remembering words was given 12 months to live

A father who lost his ability to hold a conversation has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Graeme McAllen, 42, was diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM) in August 2023 after struggling to find words during a conversation at work.

He underwent palliative radiation and chemotherapy and was told surgery was too high a risk and given 12 to 18 months to live. After seeking a second opinion in January 2024, Graeme underwent a craniotomy during which approximately 90% of his tumor was debulked.

Now his family are doing everything they can to prolong his life and his mother-in-law Jane Paton, 61, is taking on a month-long fundraising challenge. Jane, who works as a teacher for adults with learning difficulties, from Horley, Surrey, said: “My daughter was a force in finding options to help her husband see their children grow up.

“Graeme wears a device called Optune on his head which uses alternating electric fields to cause cell death and stop the tumor growing so quickly. He must shave his head completely or else he will suffer from burns due to the electric pads that are directly on his head. skin she has to wear 20 hours a day for her to do anything – a huge commitment.

“He had two rounds of immunotherapy in Cologne, Germany, which is a personalized vaccine given monthly. The treatment will cost more than £100,000. We know that cancer is aggressive and that when it grows, it will grow rapidly.

“We want to try everything we can to prolong her life in the hope that she will live long enough to see her boys grow up.”

Graeme’s wife Tamara, 33, wants to do what she can to extend her husbands life for their three sons – aged 14, four and 18 months – and has set up a crowdfunding campaign. The Chelsea FC fan received a video call from football legends such as John Terry, Thibaut Courtois and Cesar Azpilicueta and also England rugby legend Jason Robinson.

Tamara’s mum Jane reached the halfway point of her 200km in May, which asks participants to walk, play, run, cycle, swim, to complete a distance of 200km over the course of the month. Jane said: “I challenged myself to support my son-in-law in his battle against his GBM.

“In addition to the housework and daily walks, I found that the weekly fitness classes were a great way to increase my mileage. When I saw this challenge I thought it was something I would enjoy, something I could focus on to help. my own well-being while supporting the brain tumor community that my family is now a part of.”

She added: “I was unaware of the disease before it affected my family. You don’t really do it unless you live it. I was shocked to learn that only 1% of national cancer research spending has gone to brain tumors since records began in 2002.

“We must act now if we are to stop families being torn apart by this terrible disease.”

Charlie Allesbrook, community development manager at Brain Tumor Research, said: “Sadly, Graeme’s story is not unique. In the UK, 16,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumor every year.”

The charity is the driving force behind the call for annual national spending of £35m to improve survival rates and patient outcomes, in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.

To donate to Brain Tumor Research through Jane’s Challenge, visit: www.facebook.com/donate/799879645001538/10233648451018795/