A man who lost his mother to a brain tumour has inspired his work colleagues to raise awareness and donations to help find a cure for the disease.
Taranjit Lotay, 29, said goodbye to his "strong" mother Rashpal in 2019; ten years after she was diagnosed with an anaplastic oligoastrocytoma brain tumour.
Before finding out she had a tumour, Rashpal, who lived in Watford, suffered from double vision by eye problems were ruled out.
After visiting a doctor, Rashpal's character saw her through repeated surgeries and chemotherapy treatment and it was not until her last year that she experienced a dramatic decline in health.
Since his mother's death, Taranjit, known as TJ, has become a dedicated supporter of Brain Tumour Research and had planned to travel to America in 2020 to hike Angel’s Landing, often regarded as one of the world’s most dangerous trails, to raise funds for the charity.
But the hike had to be put on hold because of the pandemic and instead he and a group of Amazon colleagues climbed Scafell Pike, England’s highest peak, last year.
Today (March 25), the Amazon warehouse in Hemel Hempstead will be encouraging colleagues to wear hats and make a donation for research into the disease and to speed up treatments and find a cure.
TJ said: "My mother fought the tumour for 10 years, radiating energy, always happy, upbeat and smiling. It’s too late to make a difference for her, but brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.
"I set up Ascension, a Fundraising Group under the umbrella of Brain Tumour Research, to help find more effective treatments and ultimately a cure so that other families don’t have to go through what mine has."
Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: "We are very grateful to TJ and his Amazon colleagues for their support and for joining in the fun of Wear A Hat Day, helping us to continue funding vital research into brain tumours and enabling us to get ever closer to finding a cure."
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