Louth father Edward Cox, 52, with terminal glioblastoma on mission to find cure by cycling from John O’Groats in Scotland to Land’s End in aid of Brain Tumour Research

A father diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour is on a mission to find a cure for his ‘devastating’ disease.

When Edward Cox, from Louth, was first told he had an aggressive glioblastoma (GBM) back in 2020, he was struck with a survival prognosis of 12 to 18 months. The news came after he fell off his bike whilst cycling in the Peak District with friends in June 2019.

Now, four years later, the 52-year-old, despite being left with short-term memory problems, fatigue and an inability to read, is setting himself the 990-mile challenge of cycling from the Scottish village of John O’Groats to Lands’ End in aid of the charity Brain Tumour Research.

The chartered surveyor sets off on his quest today (Friday August 30) and will be joined by his friends Adam Sessions and Jon Silver, who will be vital in keeping Ed from getting lost because of his reading difficulties.

“Before I was diagnosed, I knew next to nothing about brain tumours, so it was a very steep learning curve,” he said.

“I feel very lucky to still be very much alive four years on, especially after learning that GBM is the most common type of primary aggressive brain tumour in adults.

“But treatment hasn’t really changed in the last couple of decades due to pitiful funding for research.”

Over the course of his journey with the tumour, Edward has undergone a six-hour awake craniotomy at Hull Royal Infirmary, as well as six months of chemotherapy and regular MRI scans.

According to the charity, just 12% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 54% across all cancers, something that the fundraiser is hoping to change.

Ashley McWilliams, community development manager at Brain Tumour Researc, said: “Brain tumours are indiscriminate and can affect anyone at any age.

“We are very grateful to Ed and his friends for taking on the challenge to cycle from John O’Groats to Land’s End. They are raising vital money which will progress our research into brain tumours. This research will improve the outcome for patients like Ed who are forced to fight this awful disease.”

Donations to Edwards’ cause can be made here.

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