Beetle And Nick Higham
Beetle and Nick's page
Fundraising for The Brain Tumour Charity
Story
On 23rd April we will be running the London Marathon in memory of Dad, to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity.
In February 2021 our fit and healthy Dad was diagnosed with a brain tumour. A huge shock to us all. Life would not be the same again. Nick moved back from Brazil and Beetle (Alex) made innumerable trips from Yorkshire to Hampshire in order to be close. We went through the emotional rollercoaster of denial, anger, hope and despair as we learned more and more about the brutal, fast and sadly terminal impact of a Grade 4 Glioblastoma.
All of the family (22 of us, including 12 grandchildren at the time) came together and we had 3 wonderful, priceless emotional family holidays in Cornwall, Scotland and northern England. His friends and family and the people of his beloved village Hambledon and naval colleagues rallied, everyone having been helped in some way by Dad over the years, as that was his way. The Hambledon “Hilly”, a 10km race round the village, was run in his honour as he fired the gun at the start, a special if very sad day. It showed the huge support that he had and made us very proud.
Dad (unsurprisingly) was a warrior throughout. Never a word or complaint. Brave to the last. He loved being surrounded by his family and we did all we could to enjoy those last few months in as normal a fashion as we could. No one (least of all Dad) talked about what was coming.
Sadly, a mere 9 months after being diagnosed, on 24th November Dad passed away. His funeral, while very sad, was packed to the rafters with family and friends and people whose lives he had touched along the way.
In order to raise funds for The Brain Tumour Charity and to hopefully help others have a brighter chance of survival than our Dad, we are running the London Marathon. For us personally it is our way to remember him and he will be with us every step of the 26 miles around London.
We ask for your sponsorship and support so that we can raise as much as we can to help fund new ways of treating this terrible and sudden disease. Please, be generous. As Dad always was. Thank you for your support.
Nick and Beetle
The Brain Tumour Charity is the world's leading brain tumour charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally. Committed to saving and improving lives, we're moving further, faster to help every single person affected by a brain tumour.We're set on finding new treatments, offering the highest level of support and driving urgent change. And we're doing it right now. Because we understand that when you, or someone you love, is diagnosed with a brain tumour a cure really can't wait.
