Cullion man ran London Marathon in memory of late wife

A LOCAL businessman who lives in Cullion just outside Dunamanagh has raised an amazing £8,959 for Brain Tumour Research after running the London Marathon in memory of his late wife Nichola, who passed away from cancer in 2021.

Alan Robinson only started running last year when he joined a family member who took part in the Omagh Half Marathon. Since then Alan has completed half marathons the length and breadth of the country raising vital funds for charity.

He told the Chronicle, “Brain cancer kills more children and young adults under 40 than any other cancer yet only receives one per-cent of funding from the government’s research budgets. This has to change; more people need to be aware of this horrible condition.”

Alan ran the race in honour of Nichola who sadly passed away after a three year battle with brain cancer.

In 2018 she was diagnosed with a diffuse astrocytoma brain tumour after suffering for a couple of weeks with headaches and dizzy spells.

After that Nichola went through a number of surgeries including two seven-hour craniotomies and treatments including bouts of intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Sadly this did not stop the tumour growing and in October 2021 at the age of just 35 Nicola passed away. She was a mother-of-two: Eight-year-old Amelia and Alfie, aged five.

Alan said that his wife Nicola was the “perfect mummy to her children.”

He said, “Nicola was literally one of a kind. A beautiful girl not only on the outside but her inner beauty and kindness was something rarely found. She was the perfect mummy to her children and would literally have done anything for anyone.

“I remember when the consultant told me that Nicola only had days to live. It was a conversation which will haunt me forever.

“Brain tumours are a shocking killer and the stats are so grim. Less than 12 per-cent of patients survive beyond five years which compares with an average of 50 per-cent across all cancers. We have to do something to change this so that other families aren’t devastated like ours.”

Carol Robertson, national events manager at Brain Tumour Research, added, “Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anybody, at any age.

“We’re very grateful to Alan for taking on this huge challenge to help raise funds for our cause. Our marathon runners are supported every step of the way and we cheered Alan across the finish line.”

To support Alan’s fundraising, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/alan-robinson2023