Dad who lost son to tumour raises £8k through marathon run

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Frank and his son
Image caption,

Frank Lee's son died from a glioblastoma at 15-years-old

A man who turned to running after losing his teenage son to a brain tumour has raised more than £8,000 to help find a cure for the disease.

Frank Lee, 42, from Wiltshire, ran the TCS London Marathon on Sunday for the charity Brain Tumour Research.

He started running as a way of dealing with the grief of losing his son, Frank James, who died from a glioblastoma at 15-years-old.

"No parent should have to go through the pain of losing a child," he said.

Frank was diagnosed with a life-limiting brain tumour at the age of 13.

The sports-loving teenager had previously complained of nausea and severe headaches.

Image caption,

Mr Lee started running as a way of dealing with grief

He later suffered a seizure and a scan revealed a mass on his brain, but despite two operations followed by radiotherapy and a year of chemotherapy treatment, the cancer grew.

"There was nowhere else to turn, the standard treatment that comes with a cancer diagnosis didn't work. We looked for a clinical trial but we couldn't find anything to save our boy," Mr Lee said.

"I am keen to raise even more awareness of the disease, and to help fund vital research to find a cure."

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Mr Lee is already looking for his next fundraising challenge

Mr Lee completed the distance in just under five hours, and has so far raised more than £8,000 for the charity.

"I am already eyeing up my next challenge," Mr Lee added.