A woman is taking on the London Marathon this Sunday for her RAF grandad who died just weeks after his brain tumour diagnosis.
Phillip May, a former chief technician in the Royal Air Force (RAF), spent much of his life travelling the world before settling in Oxford.
In November 2017, after feeling dizzy and generally unwell, he had an MRI scan which revealed a glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumour.
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The cancer was too advanced for treatment to be effective, so Philip was placed on palliative care and died six weeks later.
His granddaughter, Meg Shine, 26, from London will be running the 26 mile race to raise money for the charity Brain Tumour Research.
She said: “At the beginning of his diagnosis my grandad was able to share some great stories from his younger days and reflect on many happy times spent with my nanny.
“He retained huge amounts of knowledge on many subjects and, for as long as he could, he loved to engage in a good debate.
“He was such an inspiration to me and my brother.
"Sharing his stories also helped him remain very stoic, and find peace with his life ending without notice.”
Philip, who spent 25 years in the RAF, was posted all around the world.
He met his wife Brenda in Cambridge, they married and then embarked on a new life in Nairobi, Africa, where they had a son and their daughter Angela, Meg’s Mum.
They spent four years in Singapore, before returning to the UK and living in Wales and London, until finally settling in Oxford.
Meg added: “To be told Grandad had an incurable brain tumour was such a shock.
"His words were, ‘I’m not quite ready to go’.
"It was a very sad time for us as a family and for all his friends to see him deteriorate so quickly.
"With my mum’s support, his wish to stay at home was made possible up until he was moved to Sobell House, a lovely caring hospice a few days before he passed away.”
Phillip died on 16 January 2018, aged 79.
The experience of her grandfather inspired Meg to find out more about brain tumours.
To help find a cure she decided to take on the iconic challenge in London.
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.
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