4<\/p>\n Glenn Colmer was a ‘much-loved’ sports teacher and dad, but earlier this year he suffered a sudden seizure in his home 4<\/p>\n He was taken to hospital where a CT scan revealed a mass on his brain – days later he was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour<\/p>\n But on February 18 this year, the 51-year-old suffered a sudden seizure at his home in Southampton<\/a>.<\/p>\n He was rushed to hospital where a CT scan revealed a mass on his brain – and just days later, on February 22, he was diagnosed with a high-grade glioma – a type of brain tumour<\/a> characterised by rapid growth and spread.<\/p>\n The “much-loved” sports teacher, who his devastated wife Ali described as “strong, active, and the healthiest man [she] knew”, tragically died on February 28.<\/p>\n Now, Glenn’s family are sharing his story to spread awareness of the “indiscriminate” cancer<\/a> – and raise money for Brain Tumour Research.<\/p>\n Read more on brain tumours<\/p>\n Ali said: “You never think it\u2019s going to happen to your family. Glenn was the healthiest man I knew: strong and active, full of life and laughter.<\/p>\n “He was a brilliant husband, an incredible dad, and he had this amazing way of making people feel better just by being around them.<\/p>\n “We always joked that he was invincible.<\/p>\n “But brain tumours don\u2019t care how healthy, kind, or loved you are. They\u2019re cruel and indiscriminate.<\/p>\n “And in the space of ten unthinkable days, we went from thinking Glenn had had a seizure, to holding his hand as he slipped away from us.<\/p>\n “I want to share his story and raise awareness, because this shouldn’t happen to anyone.”<\/p>\n Boy, 8, dies within hours of complaining of a headache when normally harmless flu infection spread to his brain<\/p>\n In the year leading up to his death, Glenn had been suffering with fatigue, headaches, and dizziness and so visited his GP<\/a>.<\/p>\n Doctors however merely prescribed him with medication<\/a> and glasses, which alleviated the pain, and so he thought his symptoms were just to do with his age.<\/p>\n Things continued as normal until February 18, when Glenn, who had just woken up, froze while putting on his dressing gown.<\/p>\n He was silent, and his left arm was locked in place – as he stared blankly ahead.<\/p>\n His wife Ali said: “I asked if he was okay. He replied: ‘No, I\u2019m not.’ <\/p>\n Moments later, Glenn collapsed and began violently shaking, gasping for air.<\/p>\n “I called an ambulance, staying calm for his sake, whispering words of reassurance until help arrived.<\/p>\n His eyes were vacant. The trauma was immediate and life-altering<\/p>\n Glenn Colmer<\/p><\/blockquote>\n “The paramedics were quick to respond. Although the seizure had passed, Glenn was in visible pain, particularly in his arm which had locked during the seizure.<\/p>\n “His eyes were vacant. The trauma was immediate and life-altering.”<\/p>\n Glenn, who worked as the Director of Curriculum for Sports and Protective Services at Itchen Sixth Form College, was taken to hospital where he was told he had a mass on his brain.<\/p>\n Four days later, he, Ali, and their two children Grace, 19, and Joe, 16, were told the mass was a high-grade glioma brain tumour – in a moment which changed their lives forever.<\/p>\n Ali said: “It was horrendous. My world fell apart.<\/p>\n “The doctor tried to explain the scan; Glenn didn\u2019t want to look. He couldn\u2019t. He wasn\u2019t ready.<\/p>\n “His expression, once so full of life, humour, and warmth, was robbed from him, replaced with silence and vacancy.<\/p>\n “His right side remained weak, and the vibrant man who once did every sport imaginable now needed help with the most basic tasks.”<\/p>\n Glenn was discharged from hospital but the pain worsened as he returned home.<\/p>\n “For Glenn, a man who had been so fit and healthy, it was unbearable,” Ali said.<\/p>\n “He refused visitors. He didn\u2019t want people to see him this way.”<\/p>\n Quick decline<\/p>\n By February 25, Glenn’s pain was excruciating and another ambulance was called.<\/p>\n A new MRI confirmed another bleed on Glenn’s brain and he became fully paralysed on his right side.<\/p>\n Over the next few days, Glenn declined further. He was vomiting, became unable to speak, and lost the ability to swallow.<\/p>\n However, he continued to communicate with his family.<\/p>\n Ali said: “He kept reaching for my engagement ring and the children\u2019s hands, squeezing tightly as if to say ‘goodbye’.<\/p>\n “He placed my hand on his heart, as if to say ‘thank you’. Though no one had said it yet, I could see that Glenn was dying.”<\/p>\n He placed my hand on his heart, as if to say ‘thank you’. Though no one had said it yet, I could see that Glenn was dying<\/p>\n Glenn Colmer<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Glenn was moved to the ICU and placed on a ventilator, and his mum and brother joined Ali, Grace, and Joe at the hospital.<\/p>\n Ali said: “Even as his body began to shut down and he was unable to speak, Glenn remained present. He kept reaching out, holding hands, squeezing gently.”<\/p>\n A neurosurgeon later confirmed the worst: that Glenn had suffered another catastrophic brain bleed and there was no hope of recovery.<\/p>\n Ali was then forced to make the devastating decision to remove Glenn’s life support – and he died surrounded by family.<\/p>\n Glenn spent two decades at Itchen College – during which time he dedicated himself to nurturing young sports stars.<\/p>\n Among those he mentored were former Southampton FC<\/a> defender Aaron Martin, Olympic marathon runner Mahamed Mahamed, boxing<\/a> champion Ryan Garner, and NBA<\/a> basketball<\/a> star Jeremy Sochan.<\/p>\n Ali said: “Glenn was more than his diagnosis. He was a mentor, a joker, a passionate teacher and friend.<\/p>\n “His funeral<\/a> was a testament to the life he lived, over 500 people attended, including former students and colleagues from as far as the USA<\/a>.<\/p>\n “He touched lives across the world. He made people feel seen, valued, and inspired.”<\/p>\n Glenn’s fundraiser 4<\/p>\n To commemorate his life and raise money for Brain Tumour Research, Glenn’s family, friends, and colleagues have organised a charity golf day 4<\/p>\n Glenn’s funeral was testament to the life he lived – he had more than 500 people attend<\/p>\n To commemorate his life and raise money for Brain Tumour Research, Glenn’s family, friends, and colleagues have organised a charity<\/a> golf<\/a> day on August 1 at Southampton Municipal Golf Course – Glenn’s favourite.<\/p>\n Glenn\u2019s son Joe will tee off the event, and a memorial bench is planned for the 18th hole.<\/p>\n So far, more than \u00a33,000 has been raised in Glenn’s honour.<\/p>\n Katrina Jones, head of Community and Digital Fundraising at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are deeply grateful to Glenn\u2019s family and friends for bravely sharing his story.<\/p>\n “Glenn\u2019s sudden and devastating diagnosis highlights the cruel reality of brain tumours: they can strike anyone, at any time, regardless of health<\/a> or lifestyle.<\/p>\n “His legacy as a much-loved teacher and mentor lives on in the lives he touched, and now in the vital awareness and funds being raised in his name.<\/p>\n “We desperately need more investment in research to improve outcomes and offer hope to families like Glenn\u2019s.”<\/p>\n Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer – and more men under 75 than prostate cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n Yet, just 1 per cent of the national spend on cancer research is allocated to brain tumours.<\/p>\n For more information on brain tumours, visit, https:\/\/braintumourresearch.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n To donate to Glenn’s fundraiser, visit his GoFundMe page<\/a>. <\/p>\n The most common symptoms of a brain tumour<\/p>\n More than 12,000 Brits are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour every year \u2014 of which around half are cancerous \u2014 with 5,300 losing their lives.<\/p>\n The disease is the most deadly\u00a0cancer<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0children<\/a>\u00a0and adults aged under 40, according to the Brain Tumour\u00a0Charity<\/a>.<\/p>\n Brain tumours reduce life expectancies by an average of 27 years, with just 12 per cent of adults surviving five years after diagnosis.<\/p>\n There are two main types, with non-cancerous benign tumours growing more slowly and being less likely to return after\u00a0treatment<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cancerous malignant brain tumours can either start in the brain or spread there from elsewhere in the body and are more likely to return.<\/p>\n Brain tumours can cause\u00a0headaches<\/a>,\u00a0seizures<\/a>,\u00a0nausea<\/a>, vomiting and\u00a0memory problems<\/a>, according to the\u00a0NHS<\/a>.<\/p>\n They can also lead to changes in personality weakness or paralysis on one side of the problem and problems with speech or vision.<\/p>\n The nine most common symptoms are:<\/p>\n![\"Glenn](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/healthy-dad-of-1379539.jpg\")
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