A Syston man with an untreatable brain tumour will be competing in this years London Marathon. John Waters, 58, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma grade 4 brain tumour back in 2017 and was told he only had about 15 months to live.

But he has defied the odds and is now, with his wife Rachel, training to take part in the 26-mile run to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity. The couple hope to raise as much money as they possibly can and have already passed £2,000 in donations.

John managed the Leicester half-marathon back in October 2018 and he is now in training for the London event on Sunday, April 23 this year. He said: "One thing that is very important to me now is that people become aware of the symptoms of this form of cancer as there is no doubt in my mind that the earlier it is picked up, the easier it is to treat and many of the symptoms you may not associate with a brain tumour."

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John noticed his first symptoms back in 2016, when he was 51. He was in training for a triathlon to raise money for prostate cancer research. Having played rugby for many years, he felt the triathlon training was going well but he noticed he started losing strength in his left side.

He thought it was probably just a trapped nerve. But then on a couple of occasions while out training he found himself struggling to swallow, too. He did take part in the triathlon, though, and came in first place in his age group.

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John first noticed his symptoms while training for a triathlon

But the swallowing problem continued and, on one occasion, resulted in him having a small facial seizure. The seizures became regular and more severe, even happening when he was not out running.

He said: "That made me realise something was not right. Under pressure from my wife, I visited the doctors who initially felt it was a nerve issue and organised a neurologist to see me who then subsequently organised further nerve tests and an MRI scan.

"My seizures were getting more severe and regular and I started to struggle to cope with basic issues at work and home due to memory loss, blurred vision and a loss of feeling down my left side.

"Again, under pressure from my wife who had to push the MRI scan by contacting the hospital directly, I managed to get the scan prioritised and the subsequent results showed I had a brain tumour. Within a week I was being operated for the removal of the tumour which was considered a success.

"However, having been sent off for a biopsy, it was found to be a glioblastoma - a rare, aggressive stage 4 brain cancer that is untreatable and I was therefore given the highly unexpected final prognosis that the cancer I have is terminal.

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John and Rachel

"My initial response was one of shock, sadness and anger which very quickly changed into determination, to enjoy the life I have left and to fight the disease for as long as possible."

After finding out about the tumour he began fundraising for The Brain Tumour Charity, which funds research into a cure for brain tumours. John and Rachel held a charity dinner in September 2017 and that was followed by many other events in the years since.

In February 2018 John became an ambassador for The Brain Tumour Charity. He said: "As a family, we are determined to increase awareness and to raise as much money as we can to helping its research."

Recently, John has been suffering with the side-affects of his treatment over the years. Rachel, 53, said: "Obviously it's been a very difficult six years but with a lot of happy times, making happy memories.

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Rachel and John hope to raise thousands for the charity

"But now a lot of side effects from treatments at the beginning have decided to appear - depression, anxiety and neuropathy. Neuropathic pain is caused by damage from his cancer treatment to the nerves in his fingers, face but mainly his feet, the pain is usually described as a burning sensation and effected areas are often sensitive to touch.

"Yet despite all of this, John is now in training to run the London Marathon. It's going to be tough but also enjoyable and what an achievement.

"This is his next goal in life and has given him something once again to strive for."

Rachel has the lung condition COPD and struggles with her breathing sometimes but said the run would be good for her physically and mentally. To sponsor John and Rachel visit their fundraising page by clicking here.

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