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I will be cycling 100 miles with Team Taylan on Sunday 28th June 2015 from the London Eye to Brighton in memory of my colleague's dear friend's little boy Taylan Rawlinson who was sadly taken from us on Wednesday 19th August 2009 at only seven years old.

Initially free from obvious symptoms, Taylan suddenly developed double vision in his right eye. Five days later, on 24th October 2008, medical experts finally discovered an inoperable and incurable brain tumour. It was located in the brain stem and called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).

When Taylan passed away, lives were turned upside-down and they remain that way. Their view on the world was that ‘Our baby has gone, so why should we care about anyone else?' That was until they realised that more children and people under the age of 40 die of a brain tumour than from any other form of cancer.

The fact that research into the cause of brain tumours is underfunded is heartbreaking and the progress is unfortunately very slow, with just 14% of sufferers surviving beyond five years (compared to over 50% for all other cancers). They can occur in anyone but are increasingly affecting the younger population.

Brain tumours receive less than 1% of the national spend on cancer research in the UK. They cannot be prevented as their cause is unknown, leaving families shattered and torn over the loss of their loved ones. Children are losing their mummies, daddies, sisters, brothers, grandparents and friends. Parents are losing their children - and no parent should have to say goodbye to their child. It is hard to accept that a child may not outlive their parents.

We need to start somewhere. So, with the help of friends and family, his parents founded Taylan's Project in January 2010, to commemorate Taylan's short and happy life and continue, with his legacy, to help others. As an umbrella group part of Brain Tumour Research, their aim is to raise awareness and much-needed funds in order to help find a cure for this devastating illness.

The majority of their work focusses on research into brain tumours. Brain Tumour Research is a UK-based charity dedicated to raising funds for research into the prevention and treatment of brain tumours, as well as ultimately finding a cure. They aim to do this by establishing seven Centres of Excellence at UK universities, where some brain tumour research is already being carried out. Their mission is to raise £7 million per annum in order to make a difference and improve outcomes for brain tumour patients.

Taylan was such a caring boy who always wanted to help others. Please help us so that we can start making a difference.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.