A family is grappling with a double tragedy as both parents passed away within a span of seven weeks after being diagnosed with brain tumours, leaving their 13-year-old daughter orphaned.
Ali Slaymaker, 49, passed away on August 24, 2023. Her partner Steve Morrissey and their daughter moved from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, to Cullompton to be near his family after her death.
Tragically, Steve, 50 then died weeks later at Exeter hospice Searle House on October 12. Steve, who was a sales manager for Treatt - a supplier of flavour and fragrance ingredients - was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the fastest-growing type of brain tumour, in 2022 after suffering an unexpected seizure, reports DevonLive.
Read more:
- Busy Plymouth road set to close for four nights
- Northern Lights captured in stunning images over Dartmoor
Medical scans revealed a growth on the right side of his brain. Glioblastoma is the most prevalent malignant brain tumour in adults, with a distressingly short average survival time of six months if untreated and only 12 to 18 months with an intensive treatment plan.
By the time of Steve's passing, the cancer had spread, resulting in three brain tumours. He had ceased working prior to his death, which facilitated his move to Devon in the autumn of 2023.
Following the tragic passing of Steve, his nephew Ben Brown from Tiverton was struck by the lack of funding for brain tumour research.
This revelation has spurred Ben and nine others, including Steve's family, friends, and workmates, to embark on a monumental 280-mile cycle from Bury St Edmunds to Cullompton, mirroring Steve's last journey, all in support of Brain Tumour Research.
The 31-year-old construction worker said: "Before my uncle collapsed there had been nothing prior to then. He was fit and healthy. We lost both him and Ali in such a short space of time.
"It really is heartbreaking the whole situation. Thankfully their daughter is doing amazing considering what she has been through. She is astonishing."
Ben fondly remembered Steve, saying: "He was a very stubborn man but was just a lovely, nice, generous man who would do anything for anyone."
The fundraising ride is set to commence on June 6 and will span four days, requiring the team to cover 70 miles daily. Ben, who only took up cycling last December, has been diligently preparing since the start of the year.
He said: "I've never, ever done a long bike ride before. It's going to be really tough physically and mentally but everyone has been training hard for it so we should be okay.
"I wanted to do something for my uncle in his memory and, even more importantly, raise money for Brain Tumour Research because it is so underfunded. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet historically just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.
"I lost two members of my family to it last year and in 2014 one of my childhood best friends died of a brain tumour. So that's three people I know who have had it and it's hard to get my head around it. They and other people are worth more than the one per cent of funding.
"Watching how brain tumours rip families into pieces has made me realise we need to help make a change and I am attempting to do that by doing something positive."
To contribute to the fundraiser, please click here. The goal is to raise £5,000.
