South Shields woman to lead Twilight Walk for The Brain Tumour Charity in memory of mum
A mum-of-three is set to take on the South Tyneside Twilight Walk in memory of her own mother, who passed away from a brain tumour.
Debbie Redpath, from South Shields, lost her mum, Jean Wilson, to a brain tumour in November 2018.
Jean died aged 66, a few months after she was diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain tumour in adults.
On Sunday, October 20, Debbie will lead a Twilight Walk along the coast from The Little Haven Hotel in South Shields to Souter Lighthouse in Marsden to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity.
She will be joined by sons, Kai, 16, Kawai, eight, and two-year-old Bane, along with other friends and family members.
“This beast called a glioblastoma took away Mam’s ability to think straight, follow her favourite TV programmes, read, write, show affection or love. We just lost mam bit by bit,” said Debbie.
“I don’t think any family should have to go through what we did. Investment in brain tumour research is low compared to other cancers, I want to do my bit to help fund cures and treatments.”
The Twilight Walk is an annual event that aims to bring together families in the UK affected by a brain tumours.
The South Tyneside walk follows three previous events in Warwick, Windsor and Edinburgh.
“For me, The Twilight Walk is about doing all I can to raise funds for a brilliant charity who are working hard to find a cure for this terrible condition,” added Debbie.
“We’re committed to having the biggest possible impact, for everyone affected by a brain tumour in the UK, so in the future, families won’t have to suffer like we did.”
Helen Rogers, The Brain Tumour Charity’s Community Fundraiser for the North East, said: “Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40 in the UK and survival rates have not improved significantly over the last 40 years.
“It’s only through the efforts of people like Debbie, and all her friends and family, that we can change these shocking statistics in the future and bring hope to the thousands of people who are diagnosed with a brain tumour every year.”