Family’s Luton walk of hope in memory of dad who died of a brain tumour

A grieving widow and her two children are preparing to take part in a Walk of Hope in Luton in memory of the “funny, caring and affectionate” man they all loved.

Shital Haria, from Nairobi, Kenya, and her daughter Isha and son Shay, from London, will be taking part in the Brain Tumour Research charity’s flagship Walk of Hope fundraiser at Wardown Park on Saturday, September 30.

Their inspiration comes from their husband and father, Minesh, who died of a brain tumour in September last year, aged 55.

Minesh, a passionate golfer and business director, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) – a highly aggressive tumour with a devastatingly short prognosis of just 12-18 months – after becoming confused and losing the ability to speak during a game of golf in April 2020. He also suffered a seizure en route to the hospital.

Minesh underwent surgery in Nairobi five days later and combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy at Guy’s Hospital, London. After the regrowth of his tumour was discovered he underwent a second surgery in May 2021 but was never the same.

Shital said: “After his first surgery, Minesh would get seizures but he was able to keep working and stay quite active. However, after his second surgery, his speech was affected and he couldn’t go back to work.

“Then his walking became impaired and a year later is when he stopped walking completely and his speech became further reduced. He was bedridden for the last two months and everything slowly deteriorated after that.”

The 53-year-old added: “We knew what the outcome would be but we always had hope. The extra time we got with him was a blessing, but it’s hard to know if we prolonged his suffering. He was a funny, cheeky guy, and very caring and affectionate. I’m lost without him.”

Now in its third year, the Luton Walk of Hope has been organised in memory of four young people who died of brain tumours, Renai Taylor-Fraser in August 2022, aged 11; George Fox in April 2022, aged 13; Amani Liaquat in February 2022, aged 23; and Shay Patel in September 2020, aged 13.

The walk is suitable for all ages and abilities, with walkers able to choose from distances of between 1km and 5km. To find out more go to the Brain Tumour Research website.

Shital said: “I’m really looking forward to meeting other people who have been through what I have.”

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “Minesh’s sad story is a stark reminder of the indiscriminate nature of brain tumours, which can affect anyone at any time. They kill more men under 70 than prostate cancer and more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.”

To support the Haria family’s fundraising, visit the JustGiving page.