A Teesside woman is taking on a physical challenge after her husband died from a brain tumour just three months after receiving his diagnosis.

Sally Bellerby from Billingham nursed her husband Mark after he collapsed in September 2022 until he died at home this month at the age of 57.

She's working with the charity Brain Tumour Research and taking on their 10,000 Steps a Day in February challenge to help raise money to find a cure for brain cancers.

Brain tumours kill more men under the age of 70 than prostate cancer, yet historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to researching the disease.

Read more: How a great-grandmother is helping to raise money for a young boy with cancer

She said: “It was horrendous. From the day of the diagnosis, Mark was so sad. I felt like I’d lost my husband. He became withdrawn and agitated, and he didn’t want anyone to see him. He was existing but he wasn’t living.

“I’m taking on this challenge to raise vital money for Brain Tumour Research. Without research, there’s nothing. We need to find new treatments and ultimately a cure.”

The Northern Echo:

Mark was initially given medication for anxiety and depression in September 2022 following changes in his behaviour. He was forgetting computer passwords and did things like leaving taps running. His spatial awareness suffered, and he lost feeling down one side before eventually collapsing at home.

A scan at the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton revealed a glioblastoma to be the cause of his symptoms.

Read more: American woman to run London Marathon in memory of much loved Teesside relative

Sally, who is a nurse at Darlington Memorial Hospital, said: “Mark didn’t have an operation because the tumour was so deep in his right frontal lobe, and he was told that he was too weak to have any treatment.

“He kept apologising, saying he had ruined Christmas because he wouldn’t be able to cook the dinner.”

Sally took sick leave from her job so she could nurse her husband in a bed installed in the family dining room.

Mark died at home on 4 January 2023, with Sally and son, Will by his side.

The Northern Echo:

The family collected donations for Brain Tumour Research at Mark’s funeral at Stockton Crematorium on Wednesday 18 January.

Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research said: “We’re so sorry to learn that Mark died from a GBM so soon after his diagnosis. We’re really grateful to Sally for taking on the 10,000 Steps a Day in February challenge as it’s only with the support of people like her that we’re able to progress our research into brain tumours and improve the outcome for patients like Mark who are forced to fight this awful disease.”

To sign up to the charity challenge, people are invited to join a special Brain Tumour Research Facebook Group or set up a JustGiving page.

On receiving their first donation, participants are sent an emoji t-shirt and a printed tracker to help tot up their steps total throughout the month. Those who raise £137 – which represents 5% of the cost of a day of research at a Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence – also receive a special medal to commemorate their amazing achievement.

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Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and the larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure.

The charity is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia and is also campaigning for greater repurposing of drugs.

To donate to Sally’s fundraising page, visit: https://www.facebook.com/donate/848570503033513