Grieving son from Wellesbourne shows support for brain tumour charity in memory of his beloved father

A grieving Wellesbourne man who lost his beloved father to a brain tumour is sharing his story in order to highlight the 'chronic' underfunding of the disease.
Arthur Boyd with his grandchildren Juliet and Noah.Arthur Boyd with his grandchildren Juliet and Noah.
Arthur Boyd with his grandchildren Juliet and Noah.

Arthur Boyd was a fit and healthy man and a loving husband and father to his three sons when he was diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme brain tumour just before Christmas 2015.

Having been told there or not, he decided just to have a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis and then underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment until it was obvious that this was not helping.

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Arthur passed away six months after diagnosis on June 11 2016 aged 69, but in the last weeks of his life, he spoke to his son Malcolm, 36, about fundraising for research into finding more effective treatments and ultimately a cure.

Malcolm Boyd with his wife Caroline and children Noah and Juliet.Malcolm Boyd with his wife Caroline and children Noah and Juliet.
Malcolm Boyd with his wife Caroline and children Noah and Juliet.

Malcolm said: “The options were so limited for dad and even if he had opted to go for a full craniotomy his prognosis would barely have changed, assuming he actually survived the surgery and wasn’t adversely affected by it either.

“This is why I am supporting Brain Tumour Research – it’s too late for dad, but we want other families with loved ones diagnosed with brain tumours in the future to have the comfort that more effective treatments have been identified and ultimately a cure found for this devastating disease.”

Malcolm is working with the charity to highlight the fact that brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet just 1 per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to the devastating disease.

He has chosen to speak out during Brain Tumour Awareness Month, and is urging people to take part in the UK-wide fundraising event, Wear A Hat Day on Friday March 31. www.wearahatday.org