Grieving daughter takes on month-long challenge in dad’s memory

Kelly Wellman will be taking part in the Brain Tumour Research charity’s 100 a Day Your Way challenge, which requires participants to complete 100 squats, 100 star jumps, 100 sit ups, 100 seconds of a plank, or a combination of all four exercises, each day in November.

The stock controller, from Daventry, said: “The more I think about it the harder it seems, but I’m looking forward to having something motivate me to exercise every day. I go swimming on Mondays so might look to include 100 laps each week, as well as doing the squats, star jumps and other exercises like push ups and bicycle crunches.”

Kelly’s inspiration for supporting the charity comes from her late father, Dave Wellman, who was diagnosed with a secondary brain tumour in October last year.

The father-of-two was initially suspected of having a stroke due to his speech becoming slurred and his face drooping slightly. He was also being investigated for having difficulty swallowing.

A scan revealed he had a 4cm brain tumour, however, which was linked to melanoma he had been given the all-clear from more than a decade earlier.

Dave, a security supervisor, underwent surgery followed by stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), a highly accurate and specialised treatment delivered using a Gamma Knife.

Sadly, his speech and mobility continued deteriorating and in January he learned his tumour had spread.

Kelly said: “He had lots of tiny tumours in between the lining of his brain and skull. The original one had exploded and spread everywhere, and there was nothing that could be done.”

Dave passed away in March, just five months after his brain tumour diagnosis. He was 63 years old.

Kelly said: “Dad was so funny. He used to joke about everything and he loved life. What happened to him was so fast and such a shock because we never considered it could be a brain tumour.

“A few years ago, he wouldn’t have had the treatment options he did, so I realise the benefits of research and want to do what I can to help raise awareness of the need for greater investment in it.”

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “With one in three of us knowing someone affected by a brain tumour, Kelly’s story is, sadly, not unique. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002. We’re determined to change this. We’re really grateful to Kelly for taking on this challenge and wish her the best of luck with it. Together we will find a cure.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and 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.

To support Kelly’s fundraising, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kelly1696359975488.

To sign up to the 100 a Day Your Way challenge, or to find out more about it, go to www.braintumourresearch.org/blogs/fundraise/100-a-day-your-way.