When her son was diagnosed with a brain tumour Sharon raised thousands of pounds for brain tumour research
Sharon, 40, from Aldridge, West Midlands, was nominated by her son, Ben. At the age of seven, he was diagnosed with an adult brain tumour, and his chances of survival looked bleak. ‘The bottom fell out of our world,’ says Sharon. ‘I was terrified he would die.
‘When I discovered that brain tumours are the biggest killers of under-40s – yet just 0·1 per cent of the money for cancer research goes towards them – I had to do something to help.' To date she has raised £90,000 for the Ben Sambrook Fund.
Sharon also began volunteering with the Worcestershire Brain Tumour Trust as a parent-to-parent coordinator. She now works for the charity Scope, supporting parents of children with disabilities. ‘When parents discover there’s something wrong with their child it can be very isolating, so getting support early on and talking to someone about how you’re feeling is vital,’ says Sharon.
There’s currently no cure for Ben’s type of tumour, but against the odds he has been clear for four years. ‘I feel so lucky still to have Ben and that he has such a fulfilled life,’ says Sharon.
Our judges said: ‘Sharon’s amazing commitment to raising funds for brain tumour research is awe-inspiring.’
