A Dorset father dying of brain cancer is climbing Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) to help prevent future generations from suffering from the disease.
Andy Hampton, 54, will be ticking off a bucket list item on Saturday 6 July when he scales the 1,085 metre (3,560 feet) peak in Wales, just 14 months after being diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM). On the climb, Andy will be raising money and awareness for Brain Tumour Research.
The father of four from Sturminster Newton said: “This will be my first time tackling the mountain since my diagnosis. It will be harder than ever before, but I’m ready to push myself to the limit to fight this disease. I’ve always dreamed of having a full English breakfast at the summit with the sun going up, so I just have to go back.”
Andy, an experienced hiker and marathon runner, will be battling more than just the incline on the challenge. As a result of the high-grade tumour being positioned on Andy’s optical nerve, his eyesight is now severely impaired, whilst invasive radiotherapy has damaged his hearing.
Gemma, Andy’s wife, says “life has returned to his eyes” following initial debulking surgery and months of treatment.
Gemma said: “It’s been over a year since Andy was diagnosed, and we’re one of the lucky ones. He was initially given a prognosis of 12 to 18 months, but Andy is a fighter, and he is feeling more like his old self after coming off chemotherapy. The thing with Andy is he probably doesn’t have the energy for this challenge, but he always finds a way.”
The summit climb will be the third time the family have supported Brain Tumour Research since Andy was diagnosed, after they were left stunned by the “barbaric” treatment that brain cancer patients are forced to endure.
Gemma said: “We didn’t know anything about brain tumours before the diagnosis. Until it affects you, you just don’t realise how underfunded research is, and how brutal the treatments are. I remember watching Andy as he was strapped to his hospital bed and had his brain zapped with radiotherapy. It’s shocking.
“When we first took Andy to hospital, there was not a single leaflet to be found on brain tumours. We are so conditioned to look out for breast cancer, lung cancer, and so on, but are never made aware of the signs of brain cancer.
“We had a brain tumour staring us in the face the whole time and we didn’t pick up on it.”
Andy, who will be joined by four-year-old daughter Isabelle on the climb, has posterity in his heart and mind.
“The fact remains that this disease affects children more than adults. I know it’s too late for me, but I can’t leave a world where children are made to suffer like this. Something needs to be done,” said Andy.
Louise Aubrey, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Andy’s determination and spirit in the face of this devastating disease is an inspiration to us all. Research we are funding across our Centres of Excellence will help lead towards improving treatments and finding a cure for GBM.”
