Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Family’s heartache over shock death of ‘special’ father
Grieving sons inspired to raised almost £20k
The heartbroken sons of a “truly special” dad who died just three months after being diagnosed with a brain tumour say his death is “completely heart-wrenching”. Danny Wake, 15, and brother Tom, 26, say losing their father, Jonathan, at the age of just 56 was devastating, with the coronavirus lockdown not allowing them to grieve properly. Jonathan, who lived in Canterbury and was an area manager at Fusion Lifestyle, died in March.
Danny, a pupil at the city’s Simon Langton Boys’ Grammar School, said: “My dad was a truly special man and losing him so quickly after he first became ill has been completely heart-wrenching.
“It was such a shock because Dad didn’t really talk about what was going on or his prognosis as he wanted me to focus on my studies, and Tom on his work.
“He just used to joke about it and always led me to believe that he was going to beat the brain tumour.”
When Jonathan collapsed at home in November, it was initially thought he had suffered a stroke.
But a CT scan revealed he had a brain tumour, and he was rushed to King’s College Hospital in London.
He underwent emergency surgery and later had part of his skull removed.
Before his death, Jonathan had been hoping to start immunotherapy, but this was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. His identical twin, Stephen, recalled: “Then he started having headaches. When his mouth suddenly drooped, Jonathan was admitted to hospital again and a scan revealed he now had several tumours.
“He passed away suddenly in the night a couple of days later, and that was it - Jonathan was gone.
“Jonathan and I were very close and we often knew what each other was thinking without even having to say anything. “The night he passed away I woke up seeing a flash of white light at the exact time he died, and just knew what had happened.”
Tom says he struggled to deal with his dad’s death during the lockdown.
“I couldn’t see my family and couldn’t grieve properly,” he explained.
But inspired by his dad’s love for marathon running, he decided to take on the arduous 4.4.48 challenge - which involves running four miles every four hours over a 48-hour period. “I wanted to do something positive to help make a difference for people diagnosed with brain tumours in the future, but also to help my own physical and mental health,” he said. Tom’s brother and uncle were eager to join him.
And to their delight, the idea snowballed. More than 300 people from as far away as Australia signed up, with some working in relay teams, and 40 completing the entire challenge solo. The brothers and their uncle started the challenge at 8pm on Friday. Their last run took place at 4pm on Sunday; Father’s Day. They aimed to raise £10,000 for charity Brain Tumour Research, but smashed the target, raising more than £21,000 to date. Stephen says the response has been “humbling and heartwarming”. “My brother would have been so proud of his sons for organising such a challenging event, and overwhelmed by everyone’s grit and determination to compete,” he said. Tom added: “The way hundreds of people all grouped together over one person and one challenge was utterly breathtaking.”
To donate, visit www. gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-jonathan-for-brain-tumour-research.