Matthew was loved by all... we wanted to do him proud
Top trio conquer 3 Lochs challenge to raise cash for BrainTumour Research in memory of 11-year-old
School together.
“It hit us all very hard and Rory has struggled a great deal.
“Matthew was a very popular boy and his passing was a huge loss to all who knew him.”
Matthew, the oldest of three siblings, was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma in 2014, just after his 11th birthday.
Medulloblastoma is the most common high-grade paediatric brain tumour. It is more common in boys than girls and is rarer in adults.
Matthew’s mum Susan, a 50-year-old business transformation consultant, said: “Matthew had been complaining of headaches on and off and then he started being sick but otherwise, there were very few symptoms.
“We’d been to the out of hours GP and he’d been diagnosed with a sickness bug but when he started to feel really unwell a week or so later, we went back to the GP and she referred us to paediatrics at Forth Valley Royal Hospital. He was seen by a consultant and sent for a scan.”
Devastatingly, Matthew’s scan revealed a brain tumour and he was transferred to Yorkhill Hospital (now Royal
Hospital for Children) in Glasgow. Two days later he underwent surgery to debulk the tumour.
Susan said: “A few days after the operation, we were told that the tumour was a medulloblastoma and Matthew’s chances of survival were high.
“However, when a lumbar puncture was carried out, doctors discovered that the cancer had, in actual fact, spread to his spine, meaning he would require more intensive treatment.
His chances of survival at that point were reduced to 60 per cent.”
Matthew had a course of harsh, high-dose radiotherapy, which caused significant side effects.
Susan added: “In spite of the hardship he faced, Matthew was brilliant and so resilient.
“Unfortunately, between his radiotherapy and chemotherapy, he became quite ill, so his chemo was postponed. Then we discovered it had spread to his bones.
“In September 2014, we were told he would die and that his only option was palliative chemotherapy.
He went back to school for a bit but sadly, the treatment stopped working after Christmas and after that, he declined very quickly.
“He died on 15 March 2015, a month before his 12th birthday.
“Matthew’s siblings, Jenny and Ben, were only 10 and six at the time. Losing him was utterly shattering for all of us but Andy and I knew we had to hold things together for our other children and so we did our utmost to stay positive.”
A sum of £10,000 was collected for Brain Tumour Research at Matthew’s funeral and it was Susan and Andy’s decision for Richard and his fellow fundraisers to support the charity with The 3 Lochs Challenge.
Susan said: “We’re delighted they agreed that
Brain Tumour Research would be their chosen charity.
“I remember when Matthew was seriously ill, lots of charities reached out offering financial support to help ‘make memories’, such as trips to Disneyland.
“All I wanted, however, was for him to recover and to go off to secondary school with his peers.
“Only increased funding into research and ultimately, a cure, will help prevent other families from suffering such terrible loss.”
Matthew’s dad Andy provided support for the 50mile hike alongside another mutual friend and fellow villager, Michael Loughray.
The brand-new ultraendurance challenge is set in the heart of the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park on one of Scotland’s Great Trails.
Starting from the small village of Luss on the shores of Loch Lomond, the adventurous trek takes in Gare Loch, Loch Long and a final traverse over the famous Arrochar Alps. The plucky trio completed the challenge in 19 hours.
Richard said: “We knew it was going to be tough before we set out. Our training walks only served to highlight the massive gap between our current abilities and our glorious youth.
“We relied heavily on vanity, denial and bloodymindedness of middle-age to drive us over the finishing line but we’re so proud that we did it.
“We were fortunate with the weather - and listening to Emma Raducanu win the US Open was the perfect distraction when everything else was hurting.
“We feel particularly chuffed to have achieved our goal, as we’re all sporting various injuries.
“I recently cracked my ribs after crashing my electric scooter and Willie and Stewart injured their legs on a practice walk. Our wives