Cannock twin’s tumour awareness bid after brother’s death; A teenager diagnosed with cancer weeks after losing her twin to a brain tumor has said. She is determine to raise money and awareness in his memory.
Two weeks after Ben Parton’s funeral in 2019, his brother Jack was told he had leukemia.
Despite ongoing treatment, Jack and mum Julie, from Cannock, Staffordshire, said they wanted to help others affected by brain cancer.
15-year-old Jack raised money through a silly hat collection and online shopping.
Ben was diagnose with glioblastoma multiforme in April 2019 after suffering from symptoms such as headaches and nausea.
He underwent two treatments, including surgery and radiation, but died eight months later.
When Jack first fell ill, his symptoms were initially cause by the stress of losing his brother. But a few weeks later he was diagnose with leukemia.
Julie said that after the diagnosis, “I just couldn’t stop crying, I just thought, Oh my God.”
“Ben and Jack are my only children, I thought, ‘I can’t lose another child.’
Cannock twin’s tumour awareness bid after brother’s death; Tests have shown that Jack is cancer-free. But he is undergoing ongoing treatment and is spending less time at school due to fatigue.
“It was hard,” he said.
The family is encouraging others to raise money to support further brain tumor research.
“I started an eBay store and named it after my brother…gave away the money I made in November and December,” Jack added.
Hugh Adams, head of advocacy at the charity Brain Tumor Research. Said a child is diagnose with a brain tumor once every two weeks.
“Brain tumors are relatively rare. However, they are the number one cancer killer in children and adults under the age of 40,” he said.
“And at Brain Tumor Research, we’re commite to doing more about this, to better understand the disease area and invest more in research to improve outcomes, because we can’t keep hearing stories like this.”
