FUNDRAISING RUN: Alex Warren (centre left) with Will’s family and best friend Louis (Image: Brain Tumour Research)
A young man who passed away, aged 17, to a brain tumour was the inspiration for a 100-mile ultra-marathon from Leeds to Liverpool to raise funds to help find a cure. William Low, from Pinner in North London, was diagnosed with a high-grade medulloblastoma brain tumour at the age of five.
Despite undergoing surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a stem cell transplant, he died on August 11, 2017. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.
Losing Will led his family to set up The William Low Trust to fund research to help improve outcomes for other patients diagnosed with brain tumours. After learning about the Trust from a member of his staff, the manager of a West Yorkshire restaurant was inspired to take on a fundraising 100-mile run.
Alex Warren, 30, had run ultra-marathons before, but never more than 100km. He set out from Rudy’s in Headingley at 5pm on Sunday, hoping to reach Rudy’s in Castle Street, Liverpool on Monday at 3pm and complete the ultra-marathon in under 24 hours.
Alex said: “I’d rigorously planned the route, the food, the rest stops and pretty much every worst-case scenario. However, nothing could’ve prepared me for picking up a knee strain around 30km in and progressively struggling through the vast majority of the run. I didn’t fully appreciate how far 100 miles is!
“I was kept going knowing that it was nothing compared to what brain tumour patients and their families go through. Having the support of my friends and family, and the Low family waiting at the end, meant there was no option but to complete the distance, despite everything inside me telling me to stop.
“I was very grateful that Will’s family had stayed on to congratulate me and want to also thank the friends who ran with me on different stages, including David Shires, who was alongside me for the last 12 hours. Without his encouragement, I’m not sure I’d have made it.”
One in three children, who die of cancer, is killed by a brain tumour. Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK and campaigns for the government and larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours.
The Willliam Low Trust is sponsoring a PhD researcher at the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at Queen Mary University of London over four years at a cost of £143,657. Thomas Willott is working with a team of researchers to develop new treatment strategies to inhibit the progression of aggressive medulloblastoma – the most common high-grade paediatric brain tumour.
“We are indebted to The William Low Trust for their incredible contribution towards funding the vital research being conducted at Queen Mary University of London,” said Dan Knowles, chief executive of Brain Tumour Research. “Will’s family should be truly proud of the legacy they are creating in his memory.”