A pensioner plans to zipline after his daughter suddenly died leaving him heartbroken.

Sigvald Lofnes is set to soar 100 ft over the River Clyde in memory of his daughter who died of brain cancer.

The 81-year-old, from Uddingston, wanted to raise awareness and funds for the condition after he was left devastated over the loss.

Karen Parry, died of an aggressive glioblastoma (GBM) in 2020 at the age of 52.

Karen is being honoured by her familyKaren is being honoured by her family (Image: Sourced)

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Sigvald said: “I’m not usually much of a thrill seeker but I will do anything to raise money to combat this devastating disease since Karen was taken from us.

“I know she would smile at the idea of me zipping over the river in her memory, we were very close.”

Mother-of-two Karen lived and worked in close proximity to the river, running her own architectural practice.

After suffering from a spell of headaches, balance issues, and fits, Karen was diagnosed with a high-grade tumour in June 2019.

Sigvald said: “She had never had any health issues at all until this point. It all happened so quickly.

“She was so brave through it all; after the surgery, she asked the doctors how long she had left, and was told to expect 18 months.”

81-year-old Sigvald81-year-old Sigvald (Image: Sourced)

Karen’s condition rapidly deteriorated, with chemotherapy “wreaking havoc” on her body.

In the four months leading up to her death in November 2020, she became bedridden and unable to walk.

“She never complained, she just accepted it and got on with her life as best as she could. She died at the height of covid, and the funeral was small,” said Sigvald.

“We received hundreds of cards from well-wishers; she had touched the lives of so many people.”

Karen with son Andy and daughter RebeccaKaren with son Andy and daughter Rebecca (Image: Sourced)

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With the zipwire challenge, Sigvald is hoping to harness Karen’s memory and raise £2,740 for Brain Tumour Research, the cost of running one of the charity’s Centres of Excellence for a full day.

He added: “We simply don’t know enough about brain cancer. The fact that just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to the disease since records began in 2002 is unacceptable.

“Hopefully the money raised with this challenge can help make a real difference to the researchers hunting for a cure.”

Louise Aubrey, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “As few as 12% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 54% across all cancers, which highlights the significance of our battle against the disease.

"We are so grateful to Sigvald and wish him the best on his epic zipline this weekend. Only with more support like his and by coming together can we beat brain cancer.”

Karen with mother RosaleenKaren with mother Rosaleen (Image: Sourced)

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Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK.

It also campaigns for the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure.

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.

You can support Sigvald’s fundraiser here.