Party held to keep memory of teenager alive

The father of a boy who died from a brain tumour aged 13 said he is "scared stiff" his son will be forgotten.

George Fox, from Barton-le-Clay, Bedfordshire, died in April 2022 just 11 months after he was diagnosed with a fast-growing aggressive glioblastoma.

His family are holding a party to celebrate what would have been his 15th birthday and to raise money for charity.

George's father, Matt Fox, said: "All we want to do is keep remembering him".

The family travelled to Germany and the US for alternative treatment having raised more than £300,000 to pay for medical costs in Los Angeles.

"Nothing can ever ever prepare you for what we are waking up to every single day without our little boy", George's mother, Louise, said.

"It's just devastating beyond belief. Time is not a healer when it's your child."

The family party on Friday is the second year an event has been held in Luton to remember George, who was a "massive fan of birthdays".

In 2022 more than £22,000 was donated to Brain Tumour Research after inaugural event while his family have also raised another £38,000.

The charity said just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002.

George's sister Issy, 13, did not attend the party last year but will be going this year. and said she "knows George will be there with me".

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Brain cancer can be a devastating disease and our sympathies are with all those affected. We've specifically allocated £40 million for research in this area, on top of £1 billion a year for wider health research.

"We've invested in every suitable research application made and the funding will continue to be available for further studies to develop new treatments and therapies for brain tumours."

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