A father-of-two has spoken about how his brother's terminal cancer diagnosis brought the family closer together.

Graeme Dilley, 33, was soon to become an uncle in October 2021 when his brother Adam Dilley was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour after his optician found a mass behind his eye.

The 31-year-old had been suffering with severe headaches, jaw pain and blurred vision for several months but his symptoms had been misdiagnosed as sinusitis.

“At first it took us all aback really,” said Graeme, a procurement manager from Enfield. “At that point you try to be as positive as possible for the people you love. I tried to see the best side of things.”

He admits that reading the statistics scared him. In the UK, brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet historically only 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this disease.

Adam underwent a craniotomy - in which part of his skull was temporarily removed - to take out most of the tumour, which was filmed as part of the BBC 2 series Surgeons: At the Edge of Life.

Enfield Independent: Adam Dilley and his son AlfieAdam Dilley and his son Alfie (Image: Submitted)

Following the operation, he had several weeks of radiotherapy followed by months of chemotherapy. He now has scans every three months to see if the cancer is stable.

Just weeks after the diagnosis and operation, Adam welcomed his son Alfie in December 2021.

“The surgery went really well and it gave him a prognosis of four or five years,” Graeme said. “We’re incredibly proud of him and how amazing he has been through all this.”

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He said the diagnosis has brought the brothers closer together: “It’s made us appreciate our relationship more and we’ve got kids a similar age now which, from a family perspective, is amazing. It’s great being able to share that journey with him.”

Now Graeme is aiming to raise £4,000 for Brain Tumour Research, which has supported his brother throughout his struggle with the cancer.

He started training for the TCS London Marathon last January, despite promising his wife Fran that he would never run one again after taking part in the 2019 Berlin Marathon while she was pregnant.

Enfield Independent: Marathon runner Graeme DilleyMarathon runner Graeme Dilley (Image: Brain Tumour Research)

“It’s a huge commitment,” he explained, “but with all that’s happened with Adam and the support the charity has given him, I decided I needed to give something back.

“My main concern is that my emotions will get the better of me on the day. I’m nervous about the adrenaline wearing off half way around, but otherwise I’m feeling pretty good about it.”

According to Brain Tumour Research, 16,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year in the UK. The disease kills more children than leukaemia and more men under the age of 70 than prostate cancer.

The charity's mission is to increase the UK investment in research to £35 million a year while fundraising in order to create a network of seven Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence across the country.

Support Graeme Dilley’s fundraiser here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/graeme-dilley