A dad with a terminal brain tumour will take on a-100 mile tandem bike ride with his son to raise money for research into the devastating disease. Liam Bergin, 50, from Bollington, Cheshire, wanted to do "something different" to fundraise for the charity after his own journey with the disease.
On 13 June this year, Liam and his son, Joe, a student at the University of Manchester, will get on their tandem bike on 13 June for a 100-mile ride taking over four hours to Liam’s hometown, Stafford in Staffordshire, to raise money for Brain Tumour Research.
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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.
Liam was in otherwise good health when, out of the blue, he was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumour in April 2020.
Liam, who is married to Jen, and dad to Joe, 19, Catlin, 17, and Esme, 15, had been out for a 90k bike ride in the Peak District and then returned home to make tea.
Suddenly, he collapsed and his wife Jen found him lying on the floor in a pool of blood. He was then rushed to Manchester Royal Infirmary, where he was kept overnight for observation.
The following morning, after his consultant noticed he was struggling to eat his toast, Liam was told he had probably suffered a seizure, an epileptic fit.
After a long wait due to Covid delays, 12 weeks later, Liam had an MRI scan at Salford Royal Hospital. It revealed ‘something’ on his brain and he had a second scan which confirmed he had a grade 3 or 4 GBM.
He was given just two to four years to live.
At the start of July 2020, surgeons at Salford Royal Hospital removed 95% of the tumour. The surgery took around 10 hours.
Liam took ill health retirement from his Head of Catering position at the University of Manchester and had 30 days of radiotherapy and 15 months of chemotherapy.
Liam told the M.E.N: " You can go two ways when you get something like this- you can hide behind the pillow and never open your curtains. I understand why people need to do that. But I am trying to be as positive as I can and this could happen to others, that’s why we need to raise more money for research into brain tumours.
"It’s highly unlikely that I will see my grandchildren on their graduations. I am going to miss that- little things when you catch yourself for half a second and you think ‘it’s gong to stop, isn't it.'" Since his diagnosis, Liam described the support he has been receiving from people around him.
" The support of my family is brilliant and I have got fantastic friends," Liam said. " My local pub has got in their diary ‘what to do if Liam has a fit.’ The community really looks after me. I exchanged a few direct messages with Tom Parker from The Wanted. We were diagnosed on the same day and mine was operable, but his sadly wasn't. He came across as a very lovely man.
"I also mentored a lad called Matthew, who died of a brain tumour at 17. He was head boy at school and a published poet. Unfortunately he was terminal. Hundreds of children are dying from brain tumours every year, so I wanted to do something different to raise awareness of the disease."
Describing his excitement for the tandem bike ride, Liam continued: "It’s going to be great to do this with Joe before he heads off to Canada for the summer. My balance is not as good as it used to be, but the whole route is off-road, so we should be ok.
"It takes time to get used to cycling but my oncologist is happy for me to get back on the bike and build up strength again. I still get tired from having radiotherapy 18 months ago.
"I want to be a force for good and I’m doing this for all of those who have died from brain tumours. I want to thrive, to chase the science and to expand knowledge and awareness as far as I can.
"It costs £3,000 a day to fund one day’s research into brain tumours. I am determined to keep going for as long as I can."
In the UK, 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour. 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 research has been allocated to this disease
Brain tumours are indiscriminate- they can affect anyone at any age. Brain tumours also kill more children than leukaemia.
To donate to Liam's fundraiser, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/liam-bergin7 .
To find out more about Brain Tumour Research, visit https://www.braintumourresearch.org/.
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