I knew I had to do something to honour my son
DAD RELEASES FUNDRAISING ALBUM AFTER BOY DIES FROM BRAIN TUMOUR
THE dad of a seven-year-old who died from a brain tumour has released an album of music that he says has helped him process his grief.
Chris Nelson, 58, from Didsbury, was a part of Jam MCs, a Manchester duo who toured with the Happy Mondays in the 1990s.
Three years ago, his son Blaise was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of six. He was initially diagnosed with a lowgrade glioma but the type of tumour was never identified.
Blaise underwent major surgery, chemotherapy and several rounds of radiotherapy but, sadly, died just a year later in 2019.
“He was such a bright and sensitive boy,” Chris said.
“He loved a bit of rough and tumble, but there was a really thoughtful and calm side to him. “He was hugely popular at school, and was just so full of joy and light that everyone warmed to him.”
Blaise’s younger sister, Asha, was just fiveyears-old at the time of his death. “Seeing him and Asha together was a truly wonderful thing – they were chalk and cheese,” Chris adds. Having performed spoken word poetry at open mic nights across Manchester since the 1990s, Chris and his family have always been surrounded by music.
In 2019, a music festival was held to raise money for Blaise’s treatment which featured performances from singer Rowetta and Chris himself as part of Jam MCs. Chris has now released an EP of spoken word poems and songs inspired by his son to raise money for two cancer research charities – Brain Tumour Research and the Institute of Cancer Research in London.
He wrote two of the tracks, Butterfly Strokes and Immortals, not long after Blaise died.
“When Blaise became ill, I knew I had to do something to honour him – to make sure he had a legacy,” Chris said.
“Like any parent in my situation, I wanted to make sure that something meaningful came out of what had happened.
“Much more research into brain tumours needs to be done. There’s an urgency for better treatments and for better diagnoses.
“We were never able to find out exactly what cancer Blaise had maybe if we’d been able to, it would have helped him.”
The singles will be available to watch on YouTube and download for free from Bandcamp, but donations to a Virgin Money Giving page are encouraged.
Funds raised will help support life-changing studies to classify children’s brain tumours into different types and find new ways of treating each one.