Placing a tile in the Wall of Hope in memory of Barton's Gorgeous George

'Gorgeous George' Fox who died of a brain tumour only 11 months after being diagnosed. He was just 13.

Louise and Matt Fox and their children Jamie and Issy were invited to the Brain Tumour Research charity’s Centre of Excellence at Queen Mary University of London, which is leading the way in glioblastoma (GBM) research.

George was diagnosed with this type of tumour after suffering headaches and vomiting.

Louise said: “Our lives have been shattered since we lost our little boy and sadly, only when he was diagnosed 11 months earlier, did we find out that brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and young people under the age of 40.

Louise Fox with her children Issy and Jamie at the brain tumour cancer research centre's Wall of Hope

“We never believed this would happen to our family and want to do all we can to help fund research so that other families won’t have to face a life without their child.”

George – known to many as Gorgeous George after the crowdfunding page his parents set up to enable him to access pioneering treatment abroad – underwent multiple brain surgeries, as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

He even travelled to Germany and America for treatment, but died in April 2022, 11 months after diagnosis. He was 13 years old.

He and his family became passionate supporters of Brain Tumour Research following his diagnosis, campaigning for more funds for vital research.

Louise and Matt were among a select group of supporters given the opportunity to tour the research centre’s labs.

They spoke to scientists about their work to find a cure and placed six tiles on a Wall of Hope, each one representative of the £2,740 it costs to fund a day of research.

The money was raised through a tribute page set up following George’s death and various fundraisers organised by family and friends.

Louise said: “We’ve been blown away by all the support and are really grateful.

“Laying tiles on the Wall of Hope was emotional but hearing about everything that’s being done to find a cure was heartening and we left feeling hopeful for future patients.”

Brain Tumour Research spokesperson Charlie Allesbrook said: “In spite of enduring unimaginable heartbreak, Louise and Matt have found the strength to continue fundraising and campaigning in George’s name.

"They also took part in our Walk of Hope and recently held a ‘birthday bash’ to celebrate what would have been George’s 14th birthday. It was a huge success, raising more than £24,000, which is enough to sponsor another eight days of research.

"“Brain tumours kill more children than leukaemia and any other cancer yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease. This has got to change.”

The charity is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia and is also campaigning for greater repurposing of drugs.

> To find out more about Sponsoring a Day of research, go to the website.