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The Phelan family

West Midlands regional winner

The Phelan family

From: Buckingham, Buckinghamshire

Alison Phelan was the light 
of her family's lives. A chatty little girl with a sunny disposition, she brought love and laughter wherever she went. She was doted on by her mum, Julie, dad, Gary, and big brothers, Matthew and Graham. So when she was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour at just seven years old, her family were left in total shock.

Despite their devastation, they pulled together; Alison's auntie, Sue, began trawling the internet and speaking to experts from across the globe in desperate hope for a cure, her aunt, Penny, cared 
for Matthew and Graham while her grandparents, Colin and Shirley, as well as her mum and dad, Julie and Gary, took her to the numerous appointments at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Although she received some of the best treatment available in the UK at the time, Alison died on 7 June 2001, three weeks before her eighth birthday. The family immediately decided to set up a charity in her name to raise funds for childhood brain tumour research, and began by asking for donations at Alison's funeral. Within a month they had raised a massive £10,000.

Since then, the charity has grown from strength to strength, raising an astonishing £700,000 - enough money to fund ten childhood brain tumour research projects at UK universities. They also successfully campaigned for the first debate in Parliament on brain tumours, which led to the formation of 
the Brain Tumour All Party Parliamentary Group. And, realising that one big voice can shout louder than many small ones, they worked tirelessly to bring together 14 separate brain tumour charities to act as one to raise awareness and funds for the disease.

The family also provide emotional support to other families of those with brain tumours, and are on hand to take calls at any time throughout the day and night. Julie explains, "When Alison was diagnosed it was hard to imagine how life could go on. But family and friends made sure it did. They'd come round and cook dinners, clean, take the boys to school and play with Alison to keep her amused. There was so much love, care and positivity that we knew we had to channel it into something else, and a charity seemed perfect."

Adds Sue, "In the UK more children and people under the age of 40 lose their lives to a brain tumour than any other cancer - yet it is woefully underfunded. We won't rest until we've changed the statistics."

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