Sheffield boy's brain tumour diagnosis last Christmas prompts dad's charity role to help find cure

Nick Dawe has now become the eighth member of the Board of Trustees of Brain Tumour Research, the only national charity in the UK dedicated to raising funds for continuous and sustainable scientific research into brain tumours.

The father-of-two says he was moved to take action after his youngest son, Oliver, was diagnosed with a brain tumour last year aged five.

Oliver’s diagnosis prompted Nick to step back from his career in the medical device industry, which included 11 years specialising in the neurosurgical field, although he plans to return to a career in the industry.

Nick said: “My motivation to help find a cure for brain tumours follows my son Oliver’s diagnosis a year ago at the age of five. Although it was a dreadful time, we know we were more fortunate than many – Oliver’s tumour was low-grade and he underwent a complete surgical resection and has made a remarkable recovery,” he said.

“Many, many other families are not so lucky. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet, historically, just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease. I want to do all I can to change that.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK and campaigns for the Government and 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.

It is currently calling for an increase in national investment in brain tumour research to £35 million a year to bring it into line with other cancers such as breast, prostate and leukaemia.

Wendy Fulcher, Chair of Trustees at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Nick has been inspired by the positive impact medical research and technology can have on the life of a patient and has very personal experience of the impact of a brain tumour diagnosis. We are delighted to welcome him to the board.”

Nick says he and his wife Wendy first noticed something was wrong with Oliver in September 2019 when he began to complain of pain at the back of his neck while on a bike ride with his older brother Jacob.

Over the next few weeks, however, the complaints were more frequent and by November he had also started experiencing episodes of vomiting for no apparent reason.

Nick said: “There was no pattern to these bouts of sickness but they were really beginning to worry us. On November 18, 2019, Wendy took the boys out to tea to celebrate her birthday. Oliver had been running around beforehand, true-to-form, but during the meal he became pale and quiet and he wasn’t interested in eating.

"On leaving the restaurant, he suddenly became distressed by the severe neck pain he was experiencing, describing it as the worst pain he’d ever had.”

Oliver saw a GP a few days later and was eventually sent to an orthopaedic spine clinic at Sheffield Children’s Hospital where, after a full examination, a consultant found nothing of concern and his blood test results came back completely normal.

However, the consultant agreed that something was wrong and referred Oliver for an MRI scan of his neck although his condition took a turn for the worse before the appointment on December 27.

Nick added: “We went to watch his Christmas play at school. He was playing the part of an angel and was dressed all in white.

"As parents, we should have been beaming with pride as we watched him take to the stage with his classmates but we were completely distracted by how poorly he looked.

"Wendy emailed Oliver’s spinal consultant to update him and she asked if they could do an MRI of his head, as well as his neck. He came straight back and said ‘yes’ but that the MRI would consequently have to be delayed until January 2020.”

The family had been due to travel to East Anglia for the Christmas holidays but, as they were packing, Oliver vomited several times and was screaming in pain.

With a background knowledge of neurosurgery, Nick questioned his son more about his symptoms and ‘alarm bells’ began to ring – rushing the youngster straight to hospital where he was taken for a CT scan and later diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Oliver was then put on a high-dose steroid and an operation was scheduled for December 27, allowing time for a specialist team of neurosurgeons to be gathered.

Despite having to attend hospital at night, Oliver was allowed to spend Christmas Day at home with his family.

“I remember driving him back to the hospital on Christmas Day and he said to me: ‘See Daddy, I wasn’t lying to you about my neck ache’ and it broke my heart,” Nick said.

“Oliver’s surgery was seven hours long; the longest seven hours of our lives. We stayed in close proximity to the hospital, desperately waiting for news.

"To our huge relief, we finally received the call to say the operation had been a success and Oliver was doing well in recovery.”

Oliver was discharged from hospital on January 2, 2020 and continues to have regular MRIs to check for signs of tumour regrowth.

Nick added: “As we approach the one-year milestone since Oliver’s diagnosis and treatment, we are focused on just one thing this Christmas and that is to enjoy it together as a family-of-four.

"Both boys missed a traditional family Christmas in 2019, as it was completely overshadowed by the nightmare of Oliver’s brain tumour diagnosis. This year, whatever restrictions we may be under, we will be together, healthy and happy and that is all that matters.”

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.