Understand
Dad living with stage four brain cancer shares his story to raise awareness and funding
Overview
Huw McCandless, a 39-year-old GP and father from Disley, Cheshire, has undergone his third awake brain surgery after being diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2019, which has now reached stage four. By sharing his journey, Huw aims to raise awareness about brain cancer and highlight what he believes is a funding disparity in the UK. The family has also launched a crowdfunding appeal to support personalised immunotherapy treatment in Germany and secure his young son Jacob's future.
Key points
- Huw McCandless was diagnosed with a brain tumour in December 2019 after experiencing a seizure while driving.
- The 39-year-old doctor recently underwent his third brain surgery while awake at Salford Royal Hospital to protect critical brain areas.
- Huw permitted BBC Breakfast to film his surgery to raise awareness of brain cancer and campaign for better funding in the UK.
- Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and young adults in the UK, yet only about 1% of cancer research funding is devoted to them according to the Brain Tumour Research charity.
- The family set up a crowdfunding appeal to fund personalised immunotherapy treatment in Germany, which is not available on the NHS, and to secure their son Jacob's future.