Dad halfway through challenge in memory of teen son

Mr Lee said running had given him "something to focus on" after his son's death aged 15

A father whose teenage son died of brain cancer is halfway through running six marathons in his memory.

Frank James Lee, from Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, was 15 years old when he died after being diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM).

His father, Frank Lee Sr, 44, is now halfway through the Abbott World Marathon Majors challenge, which sees participants complete different marathons across the globe.

Raising money for Brain Tumour Research, Mr Lee said the challenge had given him "something to focus on" after his son's death.

“Any time my mind starts going off and the sadness gets to me, I put on my trainers, and it clears my head,” he said.

Frank was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2017 after collapsing at his home

Back in 2017, Frank experienced persistent headache and nausea which led doctors to find a high-grade tumour on his brain.

The discovery came after he collapsed at his home and he died two years later, in 2019.

Since his son's death, Mr Lee said he wanted to raise money after realising "little funding goes into research into the disease".

"It makes my blood boil," he said.

“As a family, we knew nothing about this disease until it completely upended our lives."

“I find it so hard to talk about Little Frank, and a couple of years ago I’m not sure I would have been able to do it. But I know I need to in order to prevent more parents from losing their sons like we did," Mr Lee added.

Mr Lee said: “As a family, we knew nothing about this disease until it completely upended our lives"

Running alongside a group of friends known as 'Team Breed', Mr Lee has so far competed in marathons in London, Boston and Tokyo.

Mr Lee said: “I couldn’t have made it so far without all the Team Breed lads who have joined me in running around the world and remembering Little Frank, who was such an energetic and sporty kid.”

More than £27,000 has been raised so far, an amount he hopes to double once he takes part in the second half of his challenge, completing marathons in Berlin in September, followed by Chicago in October and New York in November.

The second half of his challenge includes marathons in Berlin, Chicago and New York

Louise Aubrey, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, who fund research at dedicated centres in the UK, said the charity were "so grateful" to Mr Lee for the "incredible fundraising".

“Sadly, there are so many more stories just like Frank and his son. So many young people are suffering from the disease, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002," she added.

What are the symptoms of a brain tumour?

According to the NHS, symptoms of a brain tumour vary depending on the exact part of the brain affected but the common symptoms include:

• Headaches

• Seizures and fits

• Persistently feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting) and drowsiness

• Mental or behavioural changes, such as memory problems or changes in personality

• Progressive weakness or paralysis on one side of the body

• Vision or speech problems

Some people may not have symptoms to begin with, or they may develop very slowly over time.