Man to raise money for brain tumour research in memory of friend who died

Owen Watters, 58, from Holytown, and a group of friends have organised a ‘gents’ celebrity breakfast’ in Bellshill to raise funds for charity Brain Tumour Research in memory of Rab Donnelly, who died aged 58.

Owen, former head of health at NHS Lanarkshire, said: “Rab was an amazing chap who was larger than life. I met him when we were in our early twenties.

“We played football, watched football, golfed and went on holidays together. He was really endearing and was liked by all who knew him. His brain tumour diagnosis came as a huge shock.”

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Rab, a painter and decorator, first noticed something was wrong in November 2019, when he was playing golf with Owen.

Owen said: “While we were playing, Rab said he had pain in his knee, he was limping, and it gradually got worse. I thought he’d had a mini-stroke, so I took him to University Hospital Wishaw.”

Rab was transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow the next day, where a biopsy revealed he had a glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive and incurable brain tumour.

“I knew brain tumours were devastating and they couldn’t be treated and cured like other cancers. I knew his chances were slim, so I told him not to read about his tumour.”

He underwent a course of radiotherapy and steroids at the beginning of December but his condition gradually deteriorated until he died in June 2020.

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The gents’ celebrity breakfast will feature guest speaker, the former Motherwell football player, John Geoghegan, and will be compared by John McKelvie who is part of the organising group.

Owen said: “Rab would have been 60 this year so we all wanted to get together to raise money for Brain Tumour Research because it was an important charity for him. The day will also act as a memorial to him because only a few people were allowed at his funeral because of coronavirus restrictions.

“The indiscriminate nature of brain tumours is shocking; they can affect anyone of any age. Unfortunately, funding for this terrible disease is way below what it should be, so it has made me determined to raise money to help find a cure.”

Owen is also planning a fundraising dance for early next year, and a golf day for June and hopes to raise several thousand pounds.

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under 40 than any other cancer, yet, Brain Tumour research said, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to the disease.

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Joe Woollcott, community development manager at the charity, said: “Our sincere thanks go to Owen and his friends for taking on this fundraising campaign to help fund vital research into brain tumours. We’re so sorry he lost his good friend Rab to this devastating disease.

“Rab’s tragic story reminds us that brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone, at any time. What’s more, unlike most other cancers, incidences of and deaths from brain tumours are rising. We cannot allow this devastating situation to continue.” 

Brain Tumour Research is calling 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.

The gents’ celebrity breakfast will take place at the Bell Mill Hotel in Bellshill on Sunday, October 24.