Fundraiser pays tribute to father
An East Kilbride worker is donning a hat to help fund research into finding a cure for brain tumours after losing her dad to the disease.
Jim Miller died from a brain tumour in January 1994, aged 49 – just four months after being diagnosed.
His daughter, Barbara Graham, 48, and her colleagues at the HMRC call centre in East Kilbride are taking part in Wear a Hat Day for the charity Brain Tumour Research on Friday, March 31.
Barbara, from Kilbarchan in Renfrewshire, said: “Dad went through such a rapid decline, it was horrible to watch. His whole quality of life crumbled.”
In 1993, Paisley man Jim, a tax inspector at HMRC, went to his GP after Barbara noticed his “odd behaviour”.
She said: “Dad would put things in the wrong places, such as soap powder in the fridge. He also couldn’t drive properly, putting the car in the wrong gear. He would sleep a lot more, his boss even found him asleep at his desk.”
Jim was referred to Southern General Hospital, now Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, in Glasgow. An MRI scan revealed a tumour on his brain, and he was told it was inoperable.
He was also told, without treatment, he would have just three months to live.
Barbara said: “I was in total shock and everything started happening so quickly. Dad rapidly became unwell and he was hospitalised with pneumonia and shingles. He was also losing a lot of weight so he became too weak to have any treatment.”
On January 12, 1994, Jim was found unconscious in bed by Barbara’s step-mum, Rae Miller, so he was taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
He died in hospital two days later with Barbara and Rae by his side.
Barbara said: “I was devastated
and angry at the lack of knowledge there was about brain tumours, and I’m disappointed not enough is known now. Much more work is needed to be done in this area. I just pray something like this doesn’t happen to me.”
According to Brain Tumour Research, brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer. Yet, just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to fighting the disease.
In the UK, 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour and less than 12 per cent of those diagnosed survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50 per cent across all cancers.
Wear A Hat Day encourages people to don hats of all shapes and sizes on the last Friday in March as part of its flagship Wear a Hat Day fundraiser, which has raised more than £2 million to help fund vital research into brain tumours.
In March, Brain Tumour Research will launch a fourth research centre, bringing it one step closer to its mission of establishing a network of seven centres of excellence across the UK.
Wear A Hat Day funds are also essential in helping the charity maximise its campaigning to increase the UK investment in brain tumour research, working with UK governments and the larger cancer charities, influencing brain tumour research policies at the highest levels.
Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research said: “We’re really
grateful to Barbara for taking part in Wear A Hat Day as it’s only with the support of people like her that we’re able to progress our research into brain tumours and improve the outcome for patients like Jim who are forced to fight this awful disease.
“People can get involved in Wear A Hat Day in so many fun and easy ways, the list really is endless. Wear a hat and hold a walk, a party, a quiz
night or a bake sale. Or get your thinking cap on and come up with something totally unique.”
People are invited to pop a hat on, make a donation and take a selfie to share on social media using #WearAHatDay.
To take part as a community, school or workplace click www. braintumourresearch.org/ fundraise/wear-a-hat-day