Middleton dad with brain tumour inspires epic Everest challenge to help find cure

A young woman from Blackley, Manchester, will climb to more than 5,000 metres above sea level later this month when she takes on an Everest challenge to help find a cure for brain tumours.

Hannah McKenna’s epic climb to raise funds for the charity Brain Tumour Research is after she met father-of-two, Neil Taylor, from Middleton, a brain tumour patient, at a wedding earlier this year.

Hannah said: “Neil has really young children – his wife Alex was pregnant with Annabelle, now aged five, and miracle child, Harvey, who was born in January last year after Neil had been told that he may never have more kids after undergoing gruelling chemotherapy.”

Neil, 37, was diagnosed with a brain tumour on his left frontal lobe in February 2017, having suffered a couple of seizures out of the blue, when Alex was 13 weeks pregnant. He had surgery to debulk the tumour which was identified as a grade three astrocytoma.

He then underwent an intense course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, fearing he would not be able to have more children as the treatment can cause infertility. Neil has regular MRI scans to check for regrowth.

After his diagnosis and before surgery, Neil started fundraising for Brain Tumour Research, which soon led to him and his family setting up Neil’s Appeal, a Fundraising Group under the umbrella of Brain Tumour Research, which has already raised close to £29,000 for the charity.

 

 

Hannah, who suffered with altitude sickness when she summitted Kilimanjaro in 2017, will be flying out to Kathmandu on 25 October, ahead of 15 days of trekking up to Everest Base Camp, over the Chola Pass and around the Gokyo Lakes, climbing to a height of 5,420 metres and averaging seven hours of hiking a day.

She added: “I first got into mountain-climbing when I was at North Manchester High School for Girls, which doesn’t exist anymore, and was working on my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.

“Living in Manchester it’s fairly easy to get to the fells and mountains in the Lake District, North Wales and Scotland and, to get into training for Everest, I have been doing some wild camping too. I try to do as many miles as I can and, when I can’t get away, I use the stepper at the gym. Unfortunately, altitude is something I can’t really train for so I hope that won’t affect me too badly!

“The first challenge is flying on from Kathmandu and landing at Lukla airport. Lukla is billed as the most dangerous airport in the world because of its altitude and the effect that low air pressure has on the handling of aircraft as well as its extremely short runway – less than a quarter of the length of most runways at an international airport.

“I am nervous, but really excited about my Everest challenge and I know Neil will be my inspiration when things get tough. He’s such a positive guy and has the loveliest wife and gorgeous children.

“There’s a desperate need for much more research into brain tumours to find more effective treatment and ultimately a cure. It just doesn’t get the awareness, let alone the funding it needs!”

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer has been allocated to this devastating disease

Neil, who was given a survival prognosis of five to 10 years and is already on year five, said: “I’ve given up work as a franchise supervisor at McDonalds to spend more time with Alex and the kids. It was a really good job, but I was often working weekends and was conscious that I was missing valuable time with my family.

“I’m so grateful to and humbled by Hannah for choosing Neil’s Appeal and Brain Tumour Research over all the other charities out there. It’s really amazing what she is doing and I wish her all the very best of luck.

“It may be too late for me, but we desperately need to find a cure, so please help by making a donation to Hannah’s fundraising.”

Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research said: “Brain tumours are indiscriminate and can affect anyone at any age. Just 12% of patients survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers.

“We are very grateful to Hannah and of course Neil’s Appeal for their fundraising. It’s only with the support of people like them that we’re able to progress our research into brain tumours and improve the outcome for patients who are forced to fight this awful disease.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres 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 the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia and is also campaigning for greater repurposing of drugs.

To make a donation to Hannah’s fundraising for Neil’s Appeal and Brain Tumour Research, go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Hannah-Everest