journeytothepoint

The Cause

Why? We’re doing this to help raise funds for:

- the proactive brain tumour charity Brainstrust

- the Proton Beam Alex treatment fund raising money for the life-saving treatment of Alex Jones

After a biopsy in September 2008, an astrocytoma brain tumour of an unknown kind was found embedded in Alex Jones’es cerebellum. 34 year old Alex has been fighting his own private battle with brain tumours and cysts the majority of his adult life, undergoing a series of around 15 operations between 2001 and 2003. Due to the awkward positioning of the new tumour, it is untreatable by conventional radiotherapy or surgery.

He has been referred to Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) for the Proton Therapy he needs to save his life. This extremely precise procedure allows treatment of the tumour with little or no collateral damage to the surrounding tissue. His family to have to raise the £160,000 costs of treatment. For further information, please see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA3CZsCEqYw

http://www.protonbeamalex.com/about.php

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8070998.stm for BBC coverage of the story

Brainstrust are supporting Alex’es treatment and 80% of the money we raise will go towards Alex’es treatment, with the remaining 20% going directly to the charity. This fantastic charity aid many people like Alex in their quest for life-saving treatment. They support patients beyond diagnosis to improve the treatment, care and outcomes of patients who are diagnosed with a brain tumour. They campaign and advocate on behalf of the brain tumour community, fund technology for treatment and medical research.

Currently Proton Therapy is only available in the UK for the treatment of eye tumours, despite there being 1400 people every year who would benefit greatly from this procedure. The NHS funds 40 people per year to go to centres around the world.