Daughter to run Great Bristol Run in memory of 'loving dad'
A woman will be lacing up her running shoes to take part in a 10k (6.21mile) race to raise money for charity after losing her father to an incurable brain tumour.Maisie Ball will be taking part in the Great Bristol Run on 11 May in memory of her father Nick Ball who died on 3 August, three-years after being diagnosed. The money raised will be donated to Brain Tumour Research to help fund research towards finding new treatments for patients and a cure. Ms Ball said: "I still can't fully put into words how much I miss him, but I know I want to help raise awareness, so others don't have to go through the same pain we did."
In August 2021, Mr Ball, 47, suddenly became confused and went to bed to rest after returning from a routine run.Upon failing to wake him, his wife Rachel called an ambulance and he was rushed to intensive care at Southmead Hospital after suffering a seizure.A scan confirmed he had a glioblastoma - an aggressive and incurable brain tumour. The devastating news fell on the same day the family was celebrating Ms Ball's 16th birthday.
"I remember how brave both my mum and dad were in trying to make things feel normal for me. It's something I will never forget," recalled Ms Ball."Losing my dad to a brain tumour was like having the ground pulled out from under me. One minute, he was a strong, steady person, and the next, he was slipping away. "It was heart-breaking to watch him change so quickly, and I felt so powerless."
'He'd be so proud'
Over the course of treatment, her father under went an awake brain surgery, an operation on his spine, nine rounds of chemotherapy and 45 sessions of radiotherapy.On her fundraising page, Ms Ball wrote: "When we said our final goodbyes, I wrote a speech to read at his funeral and in this I promised dad I'd never take for granted my ability to move. So what better way to honour him by this 10k? "I just know if he was here now for my training and my run I wouldn't hear him shut up about it and he'd be so proud".
Louise Aubrey, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said, "We are deeply moved by Maisie's dedication to raising funds and awareness in memory of her dad, Nick. "Brain tumours have one of the lowest survival rates of any cancer, and more funding is desperately needed to change that. "Maisie's participation in the Great Bristol 10K is an important step towards increasing awareness and vital funding."
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