Man tackles Ironman for wife with brain tumours

Jayne Sweeney has 12 tumours in her brain alone

A Cornish man says his wife, who is living with a dozen tumours in her brain, was the inspiration for his third Ironman challenge.

Mark Sweeney, of Mevagissey, said his wife Jayne had endured five operations to remove tumours from her brain, ear and ankle over nearly four decades.

The 59-year-old raised £6,270 for Brain Tumour Research by completing a 2.3 mile (3.7km) swim, 112 mile (180km) cycle and a marathon in Denmark.

Mrs Sweeney was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma, the size of a golf ball, in 1985, and the operation to remove it caused her to lose hearing in one ear.

In 1996, the tumour regrew and another operation was needed, and she was diagnosed with the genetic condition neurofibromatosis.

Following a routine scan in 2019, a tumour in her other ear was found, and she is now facing complete deafness. A total of 12 tumours were found growing in her brain alone.

'A nice legacy'

Mr Sweeney said he would do what he could to fund research into tumours and to help his "soulmate".

He said: "Jane's condition is quite debilitating, and especially if you're a young person diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, which means that at some point you're probably going to lose your hearing.

"You can imagine for a young person that's got to be devastating hasn't it, no certainty about the future, what's going to happen when and those kind of things so, anything we can do to ease that for people in the future would be would be a nice legacy."

Mr Sweeney took part in the Ironman Mallorca in 2014 and Ironman Lanzarote in 2018.

Mark Sweeney ran his third and final Ironman for his wife Jayne

Mel Tiley, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said the charity were "really grateful" to Mr Sweeney.

She said: "Jayne’s story is a reminder that brain tumours are indiscriminate, they can affect anyone at any age.

"No matter the diagnosis, brain tumours devastate the lives of those it touches, we are determined to change this.

"Together we will find a cure.”