A terminally ill woman from Harrogate has launched a fundraiser for the Brain Tumour Charity.
Sheena Blake was diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma in June. It’s an incurable brain tumour which cannot be operated on.
Sheena, who is 38 years old, works as a teaching assistant and is the mother of two young girls.
In a video posted to her Facebook page, she said that the diagnosis had been heart-breaking for her family but that she would not go down without a fight.
Sheena has started to fundraise for The Brain Tumour Charity, a UK-based organisation that funds global research into brain tumours and offers support for those affected by the disease.
She said:
“Unfortunately, I am one of many people fighting this horrible disease and I have to do everything in my power to turn it into something good and positive.
“My Mission is to make my girls proud and raise some money to help others going through similar circumstances.
“I am determined to do some good, it might not be able to save me but it absolutely could help save someone else”
Sheena intends to start radiotherapy and chemotherapy to slow her tumour’s growth and explained how fundraising would motivate help her to keep going during this difficult time .
Since its launch a week ago, the charity fundraiser has received over £7,000 in donations, exceeding its initial £5,000 target.
Sheena commented:
“I can’t believe how generous and kind people have been.
“I’ve gone over my target so I’m running with it. This is going to be my focus, this is going to give me the push that I need to keep fighting.”
If you wish to donate or find out more click the link to Sheena’s fundraiser here.
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Young Harrogate director races to make last film following terminal diagnosis
A young Harrogate director who has been given just five more years to live is racing against time to make his final film.
Joe Cash, 30, has enjoyed a successful career working as a stuntman and prop artist on big-budget Hollywood movies including the Mad Max, Jurassic Park and Fast & Furious franchises. And when the Covid pandemic shut the film industry down, he started to make his own independent horror films.
But in October 2022 he was diagnosed with bone cancer, and in December he received worse news still: he has a brain tumour and his life expectancy has fallen to five years. He is expected to lose his memory within the next 12 months.
Joe said:
“There’s stuff I’ve forgotten already.
“We’ll be filming my last film, Carnal Redemption, in Harrogate and Driffield in August this year. I’ve already storyboarded the whole thing, so that if I’ve lost my memory by the time we begin filming, I can use it as a cheatsheet.
“After I was diagnosed, I decided to use my life savings to make this film happen, so it now has a £130,000 budget. Most of that is going on stunts with helicopters and cars – which we’re going to smash up!”
Joe’s Hollywood work started in 2005, and since then he’s been shot by Han Solo when playing a stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and even broke three vertebrae when a stunt when wrong while standing in for Johnny Depp during the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Joe Cash will be directing on the set of his last film, Carnal Redemption, this summer.
His more recent work has involved a radical change of genre, and an inevitable drop in budget. His made his first independent film, Jezebel, for just £30.
He said:
“The shoestring budget was the whole point.
“I thought I could make a film for less than the price of a night out. It was a terrible film, but it ended up being shown at 150 film festivals, winning 30 awards, and gaining lots of recognition from the film industry. It taught me a lot.”
His next film, Carnal Monsters, was made for just £500, and his last film, Calling Nurse Meow, was banned in 40 countries, reportedly becoming the most banned film in for 42 years – a record Joe is proud of.
Joe Cash made Carnal Monsters on a budget of just £500.
Joe added:
“For me, that’s a badge of pride. For a horror film to get banned gets people talking about it. We’re trying to set a new Guinness World Record.”
Carnal Redemption will start filming in the summer and Joe hopes it will be ready in time for a premiere in January and release next spring.
Joe said:
“I’ve put most of my life savings into this – I’m going all out. If there’s one film to remember me by, this is it.”
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- Harrogate actor to make debut in independent horror film
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Harrogate gym to lift one million kilos in memory of Jamie Leese
Members of a Harrogate gym are to attempt to lift one million kilograms to raise money in memory of former client Jamie Leese.
Jamie died in May aged 30 following a long battle with a brain tumour. After his diagnosis at the age of 21, he trained regularly at Fitness Garage with personal trainer Guy Lister.
From midday on October 8, Fitness Garage personal trainers, clients, family and friends will take part in the Lift For Jamie challenge to raise money for Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity.
They will work in pairs to lift their choice of weights — whether that is deadlifts, bench presses or squats.
The event is designed to be inclusive with no time limits or weight requirements for participants.
Andy Gardner, co-owner of Fitness Garage said:
“As a community, we wanted to come together to remember Jamie.
“Given his regular workouts for the nine years he was undergoing treatment, a weightlifting challenge seemed like a fitting tribute to Jamie whilst also raising funds for a charity that was close to his heart and that of his family.”
The event aims to raise £2,500 for the local charity, which supported Jamie during his treatment.
Harrogate district estate agents Verity Frearson are supported the event through their 100 Days of Giving campaign, which supports local causes as part of its 100th anniversary celebrations.
You can donate here.
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Betty’s staff taking on three million step challenge for colleague with brain tumour
Ten friends who met whilst working at the Betty’s bakery in Harrogate are taking on a challenge of walking three million steps in September after being inspired by a colleague who was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
David Smith, 55, was diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma tumour in March this year.
The challenge is part of the Yorkshire Brain Tumour Charity’s Step into September campaign, where supporters ‘walk, jog, dance or climb’ to raise funds for research and patient support.
Throughout the month, the colleagues and ex-colleagues will aim to walk as many steps as possible in an attempt to raise £2,000.
They hope to do most of the steps on Saturday, September 17, when they will walk 20km around Roundhay Park in Leeds.
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The walkers have been getting their steps across the local area, including in the Crimple Valley (photos: Yorkshire Brain Tumour Charity)
Gemma Pickup, Mr Smith’s manager at Betty’s, said the group wanted to continue raising funds after the challenge.
The group’s ‘Do it for Dave, do it for Yorkshire’ idea is for the three million steps to be just the first challenge out of 20, with baking, fishing and swimming all on the agenda.
Ms Pickup said:
“I came up with ‘Do it for Dave, Do it for Yorkshire’ because Dave has been lacking motivation recently.
“Dave will have worked at Bettys for 20 years in September and we have all known him that long, so I came up with the idea of 20 challenges in 12 months to try and give him something to aim for and also a chance for people to reconnect with him and make some fun memories.”
The Yorkshire Brain Tumour Charity works to support brain tumour patients of all ages and their families across Yorkshire.
The charity has funded research at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and at the Universities of Hull and Sheffield.
Over 1,000 people are diagnosed with brain tumours across the Yorkshire and the Humber region each year. Around 10% of those diagnosed are under 18 years old.
Harrogate mum shares daughter’s brain tumour battleA Harrogate mum has shared how her daughter overcame a brain tumour after being diagnosed aged two.
Marnie Downie-Keally, now seven, was diagnosed with a type of brain tumour called low-grade pilocytic astrocytoma in March 2017.
She underwent surgery to decompress cysts that were causing a build-up of pressure in her head, and also to do a biopsy.
In late 2018 after an MRI scan, Marnie began a course of chemotherapy that lasted 18 months.
Marnie having fun
March is Brain Tumour Awareness Month, which raises money for research to find a cure for brain tumours.
Sally Downie said:
“There had always been something that wasn’t quite right and we had been back and forth to the GP with various things from swollen gums to strange jerky movements, but it always got put down to a virus.
“Marnie had never been a great sleeper, waking every couple of hours and then towards diagnosis, she was waking saying her head hurt and being sick. Finally a CT scan was done and that was when we found out she had a brain tumour.”
Enjoying life
Marnie is now doing well after finishing her treatment in June 2020. She is back at school and enjoys playing sports including football, gymnastics, paddle boarding and swimming.
Ms Downie said:
“Marnie’s last six-monthly MRI scan in January showed all is stable, and the doctor was very pleased with her progress. If all is well at her next scan in July, Marnie will move to yearly scans.
“She’s really happy that, now that her portacath is out, if she gets a temperature she doesn’t have to go to hospital to be checked. She’s doing really well, and is really enjoying being at school. She’s doing lots of activities, including football, gymnastics, paddle boarding and swimming.”
Marnie enjoys paddle boarding.
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Vital support
Marnie and her family have been supported by Candlelights, a Leeds-based charity that works with child cancer patients and their families across Yorkshire.
Candlelighters supported Marnie and her family right from their stay at the hospital, providing them with practical support and entertainment on the wards, wellbeing therapies, trips out and a holiday, as well as financial support.
Ms Downie added:
“There are far too many things to list that Candlelighters have done for us since Marnie’s diagnosis and unless you are being supported by them I don’t think you can ever fully appreciate what they do.
“The support provided by Candlelighters has been amazing for our wellbeing. There’s always a friendly face offering a cup of tea and a chat as well as endless entertainment and support for the children.”
To donate to Candlelighters visit this page.