Widow’s marathon tribute to doctor husband raises thousands
THE grieving widow of a young Glasgow doctor who died days after being diagnosed with a brain tumour have raised thousands to help others fight the illness.
William Morris passed away at the age of 34 after being diagnosed with an aggressive and inoperable glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumour.
A paediatric doctor at The Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, William was months away from qualifying as a consultant when he passed away on June 21, 2017, the anniversary of his marriage to Gemma, age 35, from Glasgow.
The couple’s son Ollie was just 18 months old.
Gemma completed Sunday’s London marathon, raising £13,000 for the Brain Tumour Research charity along with William’s sister, Megan Morris.
Gemma, now a GP trainee at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, said: “I was running for each and every one of my incredible family and amazing friends who have helped to hold my head above the water in my darkest of times.”
Devastated by her loss, Gemma has vowed to help fund the fight against the disease which kills more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer. She completed Sunday’s marathon in a time of 5:20:08 and has raised almost £13,000 to date for the Brain Tumour Research charity.
And taking part alongside her was William’s sister, Megan Morris, age 38, from Catford, London, has raised almost £12,000 to date. Gemma added: “Completing my first, and probably my last, marathon was one of the toughest challenges I have ever faced but I was determined to cross the finish line in memory of my inspiring brave husband. The atmosphere on the day was incredible and that spurred me on along the way.”
Paying tribute to her family she said: “By supporting me, you have given me the strength to help Ollie and for that I have no words to express my gratitude. I’m thankful too that they helped me more than meet my target of £3000 to help fund vital research into brain tumours.
“William’s diagnosis came as an awful shock to us all. He fought this hideous disease with nothing but determination and courage and never once complained or asked ‘why me?’
“Brain Tumour Research is a charity close to our hearts and I hope that as well as fundraising, Megan and I help to raise awareness of this dreadful disease.”
Megan, a GP with Quay Health Solutions, finished in a time of 5:19:10.
Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated Centres of Excellence in the UK; it also campaigns for the Government and the larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure.
The charity is calling for an annual spend of £35m in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.