Weymouth firefighter to run London Marathon after brain tumour battle

Stefan Gilford, 31, was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma brain tumour in December 2021, and will be running for The Brain Tumour Charity.

Stefan - who works in a gym and part-time as an on-call firefighter for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Brigade - first noticed something was wrong when he started to lose hearing in his right ear.

Over the next nine months, he had several GP and hospital appointments, which failed to diagnose the problem until he was finally booked in for an MRI scan.

Stefan was told that his tumour was 4cm in size and would require urgent surgery.

Stefan said: “The diagnosis was the toughest challenge I have ever had to go through and put incredible amounts of stress on me and those around me. I would never have imagined that I would receive such news, especially at 30-years-old.

“Until I was directly impacted, I had no idea how common brain tumours were and the high percentage of lives they take every year, especially those who are aged under 40.”

Stefan had an operation on March 29, 2022. Surgeons were able to remove 95 per cent of the tumour and he was relieved to discover that his tumour was benign.

He now has annual MRI scans to check for regrowth. If that does happen, he will be offered radiotherapy.

Prior to securing his marathon place, he was not a regular runner but has grown to enjoy long-distance runs. After clocking up some 10k runs, he recently completed the Weymouth Half Marathon and followed that up with a training route of 18 miles.

Stefan added: “I always knew the London Marathon was going to be a big challenge – post-surgery or not.

“I will hit a wall at some point, and I have told myself to run that mile and every mile after, for someone I am grateful for. I am fortunate to have an amazing support network - the tough miles are for them, and those who have suffered with brain tumours who can’t be there on the day.”

Stefan’s friends and family will travel to London to cheer him across the finish line.

“With the race being just over a year since my surgery, I still find myself occasionally getting emotional whilst talking about it. After running on adrenaline and the atmosphere, I expect the finish line to come with a few tears,” added Stefan.

“Running the marathon for the Charity and raising vital funds and awareness is a chance to have a positive impact on something I will have ties with for the rest of my life.”