A family was left heartbroken after two brothers died just four days apart from the same type of brain tumour. Geoff and Pete Pollard were told the chance of them both being diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) was one in a million.
As reported by Plymouth Live, in January this year Stacey Pollard had to say goodbye to her dad Geoff Pollard and uncle, Pete Pollard, who both died from the disease. Stacey, 42, who works in Asda's Estover cafe in Plymouth, said she "couldn't believe what was happening" when her uncle Pete was given the same diagnosis as her dad, weeks after he was told he'd have three months to live without treatment.
Doctors have said that there were no hereditary factors in this double diagnosis that they were aware of. However, further research to determine the cause of GBMs is crucially needed.
Stacey is now taking part in the Brain Tumour Research 100 Squats or Star Jumps a Day in November fundraising challenge to help find a cure for the disease. She said: “Anything I can do to prevent another family from going through the same thing is completely worth my time and effort.”
Geoff, 64, who lived in Horrabridge, Devon, started experiencing blackouts in April 2021, months after he was given the all-clear following treatment for prostate cancer. A scan at Derriford Hospital confirmed the father-of-two had a brain tumour.
Stacey added: “We were told without treatment he would have three months. The brain tumour wasn’t related to his prostate cancer diagnosis, doctors said it was ‘one of those things’.
“We were all devastated. One minute he was okay and the next we were faced with a terminal diagnosis.”
Weeks later Pete, from Plymouth but living in France at the time, was also diagnosed. Stacey continued: “We couldn’t believe what was happening when my uncle told us he had the same tumour as my dad. They were both concerned the tumour could be genetic and asked if me, my sister, and Pete’s daughter, Samantha, might need testing, but the healthcare team concluded it was a coincidence.
“Dad and uncle Pete had very different experiences with the disease. To look and be around dad you wouldn’t know there was anything wrong with him, right up until he died.
"Uncle Pete lost mobility on one side of his body, his cognition made him appear confused as if he suffered a stroke.” Stacey's dad Geoff underwent an operation to remove the mass, but chemotherapy proved ineffective due to the aggressive nature of the tumour.
Geoff went into hospital in December 2021 and never made it home. He died on January 14, 2022. His brother, Pete died four days later at a hospital close to his home in France, he was 69.
In memory of Geoff and Pete, Stacey will complete a combination of 100 squats and star jumps every day in November to raise awareness and fundraise for Brain Tumour Research.
“This disease is horrendous and seeing what my dad and uncle went through shows how the same type of tumour can impact people differently. We need to understand all types of tumours to stop this from happening which is why I will continue to campaign to find a cure,” added Stacey.
One in three people know someone affected by a brain tumour and they kill more men under the age of 70 than prostate cancer, yet historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours. The 100 Squats or Star Jumps a Day challenge encourages people to have fun, get fit and raise vital funds to help find a cure for brain tumours.
As part of the #SquatJumpChallenge people can squat or star jump and tailor it to suit their ability, doing the 100 all in one go or across the day. For more information and to sign up to the challenge please visit: www.braintumourresearch.org/fundraise/100-squats-or-star-jumps.
To donate the Brain Tumour Research via Stacey’s fundraiser, please visit: www.facebook.com/donate/802660344278186/
