Two Lanarkshire brothers are taking on a football challenge during the World Cup in memory of their aunt who died from a brain tumour.
Donna McWhinnie was just 28 when she died of a glioblastoma (GBM) in March 2016, three years after being diagnosed.
Her nephews, Josh, eight, and Max Neilson, 11, from Wishaw, are taking part in the One Million Keepy Uppy Challenge for Brain Tumour Research to raise awareness of the disease.
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The boys’ mum, and Donna’s sister, Lisa Neilson, 40, told us how Max talks about his Auntie Donna "all the time", with Josh wearing one of her football pendants to remember her.
She told Lanarkshire Live: "Donna would love the fact they’re doing this challenge in her memory.”
In February 2013 Donna, mum to Taylor, 11, had a seizure while visiting a friend in Falkirk.
She was taken to Forth Valley Royal Hospital where she suffered two more seizures, before being transferred to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh where she had an MRI scan which revealed the aggressive tumour.
“It was horrific to hear that news, it was a massive shock and it all felt so surreal,” said Lisa.
Donna had six weeks of radiotherapy at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in Glasgow. MRI scans showed the tumour was stable, but by September 2014, the tumour had spread across both of Donna’s frontal lobes.
In February 2016, Donna moved into St. Andrews Hospice in Airdrie. One month later, on March 13, she died with her loving family by her side.
Now, as the world’s best football players compete in the World Cup in Qatar, Josh and Max are taking part in the One Million Keepy Uppy Challenge to raise money for Brain Tumour Research.
The challenge encourages people to complete 10,000 keepy-uppies towards the one million target – the number is symbolic as it costs £1m to fund a Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence for a year.
Lisa said: “Donna loved football and was a big Rangers fan so this is a great challenge for the boys to do in her memory. I think she would be really proud of them.
“The funding given towards research for brain tumours is shocking and that has got to change.”
Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research thanked the boys for their fundraising efforts.
He said: “We’re really grateful to Josh and Max for taking part in the One Million Keepy Uppy Challenge, as 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 like Donna who are forced to fight this awful disease.
“One person in three knows someone affected by a brain tumour. An estimated three million tickets will be sold for this year’s World Cup so that means more than one million fans attending will know the pain caused by this devastating 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 £35m 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 donate to Josh and Max’s fundraising page, head online.
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