Dad with terminal brain tumour now cancer free – after friends raise £100k for treatment in Germany

A dad diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour is now cancer free – after loved ones raised 100K for pioneering treatment in Germany. Mark Thompson, 38, was diagnosed aged 33 when he was dogged by dizziness, headaches and vision problems.

He had an awake craniotomy to remove the mass and offered radiotherapy and chemotherapy on the NHS – and given an estimated three to five years to live.

Mark, of Littlehampton, Sussex, sought a second opinion and was told about pioneering immunotherapy treatment in Germany costing over £100,000.

Mark’s friends and family rallied around him to raise the money with football tournaments, disco nights and group hikes. He travelled to Germany for the treatment and is currently cancer free – but without continued treatment it could return.

However all the money raised for his treatment has been used so the family is fundraising once more. They are also calling for improved brain cancer treatments.

“The treatment worked like magic, and with almost no side effects,” said dad-of-three Mark. ”I’m now coming up to five years, and latest scans show no evidence of the disease at all. I’m stable, that’s more than I ever hoped for.”

Mark, husband to Sofia and father to Wilson, 17, Rihanna, 11, Charlie, eight, started getting symptoms in February 2018. It took six months of medical appointments before a CT scan was offered at Worthing Hospital, which revealed the mass.