Parliament to debate funding and research
A SCOTS gran is celebrating as the UK Government confirmed there will be a parliamentary debate on childhood cancers after her e-petition notched up more than 100,000 signatures.
Fiona Govan recently told the heartbreaking story of her grandson, Logan Maclean, who died from diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) – the deadliest of all childhood cancers – 11 months after diagnosis.
Fiona, 50, added: “Logan was diagnosed with a DIPG brain tumour in November 2016. We quickly learned that it was incurable, that no child had ever survived a DIPG and that the only treatment was palliative radiotherapy. Logan passed away just 11 months later.
“I never imagined that in this day and age, there were childhood cancers that were untreatable and vowed then to do everything I could to make a difference for future generations.”
The first sign something was wrong with the toddler from Largs, Ayrshire was when he by VIVIENNE AITKEN Health Editor developed a “wee limp”. His little brother Ezra was just weeks old when his mum Sapphire, 30, became concerned.
Now, the family are battling for more funding into childhood cancers.
Civil servant Fiona wants a percentage of all Government research ilostboth h my parents tocancer andthatissad butnottragic. Whenyoulose a3-year-oldit is an outrage fiona govan On petitiOn hOpe funding ring-fenced for children’s conditions.
After the Record ran the story, the number of signatures rose to more than 108,000 – enabling the subject to be debated.
Fiona, from Dalry, Ayrshire, said: “This is fantastic news but to ensure it leads to something meaningful we need to continue to put pressure on our Government to make research funding transparent, to ring-fence funds for research into childhood cancers and to factor in years lost when a child dies of cancer.
“I was shocked to learn, during the all-party parliamentary group on brain tumours, that just £6million of £40million for brain cancer research has been allocated almost halfway into its five-year mission.
“Brain tumours continue to kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer – with the type of incurable brain tumour my grandson, Logan, was diagnosed with being a death sentence for children, normally within 12 months.”
The family are being supported in their mission by the charity Brain Tumour Research.
BTR spokesman Hugh Adams said: “It is vital we continue to raise awareness of the shocking lack of investment for research into this disease and campaign for change. It is unbearable to think that, in the UK, one child every fortnight is diagnosed with DIPG.”
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