A WOMAN from Somerset is raising money to fight brain cancer after her son-in-law was diagnosed with a “tennis-ball-sized” tumour. 

When father-of-four Dan Wyatt, from Wellington, started suffering from migraines at the age of 34, he assumed it was due to his spending more time in the office staring at screens.

Opticians, however, found nothing wrong with his eyesight, and a few months later he checked himself into A&E after suffering from severe dizziness.

A scan revealed he had been living with an oligodendroglioma, with doctors telling him if they did not operate he would be dead within two months.

Successful surgery immediately after his diagnosis in September 2023 has provided Dan with time, though how much is uncertain. 

Dan’s mother-in-law, Sarah Back, said: “We’ve been told it could be as little as weeks, or at best it could be 14 years, we just don’t know.

“Before Dan, I was so ignorant of the impact of brain tumours. When I found out that the disease kills more people under 40 than any other cancer, it took my breath away.”

Since Dan’s diagnosis, his family have united around him, forging ‘Team Danny’. The team has so far raised more than £12,000 to support him, whilst every adult member has got a tattoo that celebrates their connection to him. 

One of the team’s fundraisers has seen his son, Daniel, who is still at school, shave his head with his classmates, whilst Sarah completed an epic 1,065-mile cycle over the 81 days that Dan was undergoing his initial radiotherapy treatment during the winter.  

Sarah, who is also long-time friends with Dan’s parents, said: “Family, whether connected by blood or marriage, means everything to me. I’ve known Dan longer than Dan has known Dan, and supporting him through this is something I simply have to do no matter what.

“How Dan has remained so positive has been an inspiration. He’s ready to do whatever it takes, and so is Team Danny. He doesn’t want to keep talking about his cancer, he just wants to live as normally as he can. He’s faced with a massive battle, but he’s grasped it with both hands.”

Sarah is once again saddling up in support of Dan as she takes on the Brain Tumour Research Cycle 274 Miles in August challenge. 

Donations can be made to Sarah’s cycling fundraiser here. Riders can sign up to the Cycle 274 Miles in August challenge here.

She said: “If I ever feel like giving up, I will think of Dan, because he cannot afford to give up for even a moment.

"It’s not just about raising vital funds for Dan, it’s about raising awareness for brain cancer, about shouting from the hilltops that we won't back down.

"Here’s to every pedal turned in the name of love, hope, and resilience. We must keep supporting and fighting for a world where brain cancer is just a memory.”

Louise Aubrey, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are so grateful to Sarah and the whole of Team Danny who have rallied around Dan so resiliently. Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. Sadly, so many people under the age of 40 suffer from the disease, and Dan’s story is not an anomaly. Only by funding more research can we find a cure together.” 

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 to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.