A FAMILY have lit up their house as part of a festive fundraiser in memory of their daughter and sister who died from a brain tumour.
Ian Craighead, 40, and his parents, Syd and Helen, both 69, from Broughty Ferry, are working with charity Brain Tumour Research for Wear A Christmas Hat Day on Friday after Sara’s (below) death aged 35 from a brain tumour in April 2013.
The family will join thousands of people across the UK in donning tinsel-topped hats and Christmas cracker crowns to raise money for research into brain tumours. They have also covered their house on Portree Avenue in Christmas lights for people to view for a donation.
Ian, a furniture catalogue administrator, said: “The lights turn what could be a sad time into a happier time and they help to raise awareness of this devastating disease and much-needed money to help find a cure. They make me smile and if they make just one other person smile then it is worth all the effort.”
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 brain tumours.
During an eye test in 2002, an optician saw something wrong with Sara’s right eye and referred her to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee for an MRI scan which revealed a tumour.
Surgeons removed it along with the inner part of her ear, leaving Sara deaf on that side. A scan in 2005 showed the tumour had grown back. She had another operation, followed up with a course of radiotherapy.
Ian said: “It was difficult to see my sister going through it, but she never complained and just got on with it. A few years later, Sara was found to be hypoxic; scans revealed the original tumour had spread to her spine and she was told no further treatment was available for her.”
On April 12, 2013, Sara died at home with her family by her side.
Ian went on: “Christmas was a special time for our family, so we put up Christmas lights and make a big display in memory of Sara. People come to see the lights and make a donation to Brain Tumour Research to help fund new treatments and hopefully a cure so someone else won’t have to go through what Sara did.”
Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We were so sorry to learn that Sara died from this devastating disease.
“We’re really grateful to Ian and Syd for lighting up their house and taking part in our annual Wear A Christmas Hat Day.
“This raises vital money which will progress our research into brain tumours which will improve the outcome for patients like Sara who are forced to fight this awful disease. If you can’t join in on Friday, you can choose any other day in December to suit you.”
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 £35 million 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 Ian’s JustGiving page, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/craigheadschristmaslightdisplay?f
To take part in Wear A Christmas Hat Day, visit www.wearachristmashatday.org
