10th September - 25km Thames Bridges Trek 2022

As you may know we lost my dear friend Ria to a brain tumour last year. It cruelly took away our Ri at the age of just 25!!! And we are not alone in our grief and loss… brain tumours kill more adults and children under 40 than any other cancer, yet the research into treatment is so under funded. 

Ria was energetic, sporty, fun, beautiful and absolutely hilarious, she lit up the room…. We miss her every single day. Ria wanted better outcomes for people diagnosed with Brain Tumours, and we want to help with that. By fundraising for Brain Tumour Research we can raise vital funds in her name and all the while thinking of and remembering our brave and beautiful friend.

Me, my husband, and my dad will be walking the 25km london bridges trek on the 10th September. Please support us by giving what you can, and hopefully one day no other family or friends will have to feel the grief of losing a loved one to a brain tumour. 

I will be thinking of Ria on every single step i take, just as i think of her every day 💜 

Raising4Ria Story…

Raising4Ria has been set up as a Brain Tumour Research Fundraising Group by Ria's family to help raise as much money as they possibly can to help fund brain cancer research.

Ria Melvin, who graduated with a first class BSc Hons degree in sports management, was diagnosed aged 23 in December 2018 with a glioblastoma (GBM), which has an average survival prognosis of 12 to 18 months. Ria underwent surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy treatment in Germany, but nothing could save her and she passed away aged 25.

Shocked at the lack of options available to brain tumour patients, Ria worked with the charity Brain Tumour Research while undergoing treatment to campaign for change, including communicating with her local MP Alex Burghart, who was then one of the Prime Ministers private parliamentary secretaries.

During her brain tumour journey, Ria carried out selfless work, campaigning and raising awareness of brain tumours. She wanted better outcomes for people living with this devastating diagnosis and so do her loved ones who are only too aware of the inequality that a brain tumour patient faces compared with those with other cancers.

This Fundraising Group has been set up by Ria's family to continue her legacy and to raise vital funds in her name. Raising4Ria will help to keep Rias memory alive and help to channel the grief of all who mourn her into something positive to improve the lives of others living with a brain tumour diagnosis. The sloth logo is a tribute to her self-confessed spirit animal and favourite colour purple.