Oundle teenager Bradley Hadman battling brain tumour fundraising for bucket list and treatment trial

A Northamptonshire teenager battling an aggressive and fast-growing brain tumour has thanked supporters for helping him fight the disease and fulfil his bucket list.

When student Bradley Hadman from Oundle was diagnosed with brain cancer, friends, family and the wider community rallied round to help.

But now the 17-year-old’s treatment through the NHS has ended, leaving mum Rebecca to research possible treatments including medical trials at home and abroad.

Meanwhile, Bradley is working through his bucket list to make as many memories as possible with special days out while he can still get out.

Rebecca said: “It’s all about options, and with options we have hope. Currently there is not a cure, and the average survival is just nine months. Statistically he has a 10 per cent chance of surviving two years, and a two per cent chance of surviving five years. We want Bradley in that two per cent to give us more time to help find a cure so he can live longer.”

Since falling gravely ill at his Oundle home on June 14 this year, he and his family have been through an emotional rollercoaster.

The weekend before he collapsed, Bradley and parents Rebecca, 43, and Simon, 45, and siblings Sydney, 23, Morgan, 22 and Zachary, 20, had been celebrating at their Oundle home Bradley’s recovery from Crohn’s disease.

He was due to return to his criminology, sociology and psychology A-levels at Prince William School and was set to take his driving test in Kettering later that week.

The Tuesday following the party, Bradley woke up with a terrible headache.

Rebecca said: “He rang me from his bedroom and said ‘I can’t get out of bed’. His speech was so slurry I thought he’d had a stroke. I called 111. I thought I was overreacting.”

A community responder arrived at the house followed by paramedics. He managed to walk into the ambulance with help but he was losing feeling in his body.

Bradley said: “I just thought I had a really bad headache but I couldn’t swallow. In my bed I could lift both my arms – in the ambulance my right arm didn’t work.”

Rebecca said: “In the ambulance his face just wasn’t working. They were still considering it was a migraine.”

A build-up of pressure on Bradley’s brain stem was causing his condition to rapidly deteriorate. Emergency medics whisked him away for an MRI scan.

After a massive dose of steroids, Bradley’s speech returned to normal but he was exhausted.

Rebecca said: “They told us it wasn’t a stroke or DVT (deep vein thrombosis) and then about half an hour later they called us into a side room.

"They said ‘please prepare yourself for the worst three days of your lives’.”

Bradley was blue lit to Addenbrookes Hospital, where he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Diffuse Midline Glioma on the pons area of his brain stem – a vital area of the brain that controls many body functions.

To give Bradley a fighting chance, a team of neurosurgeons successfully collaborated on a 10-hour major brain operation with 40 per cent of the growth removed and three biopsies taken. A total of 33 staples were needed to stitch the wound. He spent 10 gruelling days recovering, four in intensive care, with mum Rebecca not leaving his side for 10 days.

Rebecca said: “I was exhausted. I didn’t sleep or lay down for days. It was really tough but as a mum you just want to make sure they are comfortable.”

Gradually Bradley recovered feeling in his limbs, with dad Simon helping massage his feet and Rebecca spoon-feeding Bradley.

Bradley said: “I could move my left side but not my right. I couldn’t even hold my phone. I could only say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.”

With Bradley out of immediate danger, the family prepared for the second stage of his treatment.

Rebecca said: “We were told to take Brad home and spend some quality time as a family, making as many memories as we could in the four weeks before radiotherapy was going to commence.”

Urgent five-days-a-week intensive radiotherapy treatment started in mid-July, enduring a 100-mile round trip.

Earlier this month, Bradley underwent his post radiotherapy MRI with his tumour showing signs of shrinking significantly.

Rebecca said: “The consultant was actually surprised at how much it had reduced in size and even thinks we could see further shrinkage at the next scan. We are so relieved and thankful at these results.

“There are more options out there that are helping other kids to live longer, unfortunately, they are only available privately and come at a very, very high cost. Everything that is out there is at a trial stage.“

The family has bought a trial drug treatment from Germany called ONC201 that costs around £10,000 per month. There are also trials in Singapore and the USA.

So far £43,601 has been raised of the £300,000 goal set by the family.

Rebecca said: “An ideal would be to find a cure but it’s to keep it stable. While we’ve got options, we’ve got hope.

"Bradley is amazing and so super powerful. There’s something about him that naturally draws people to them – he could make friends with a tree.

"In the first two weeks (after his diagnosis) I grieved. We’re getting into a space where we live each day. We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. One of the trials might be the ‘one’. It’s really hard to remain objective when it’s your son’s life. We have to do what’s best for Bradley. We have to spend the money wisely and make the right choices.

“We want to raise money to not only provide Brad with special days out and help fulfil his bucket list whilst he can, but to help fund important consultations needed to discuss all possible treatment avenues that are not available to us via the NHS. Even when telling Brad the worst possible news, he acted courageously and gave us the hope we needed as parents to go out there and find him some potential treatment.”

Top of Bradley’s bucket list is meeting the whole of the Manchester United first team. His other dreams are to go on a beach holiday with his friends and just spending as much time as possible with his family.

Bradley has been treated to BradFest – a festival in his honour – , a high-octane car meet, VIP trips to football matches including his favourites Manchester United FC and is due to meet YouTube sensations The Sidemen. He has been supported by messages from sports stars including Jack Grealish, Gareth Bale, Jenson Button, Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly. He has also been supported by Manchester City Elite Development Squad player Luke Mbete.

Bradley said: “Watching the messages give me a boost. They have made a huge difference. I’ve cried more over the support than about the cancer. They are so super kind. All we can do is say thank you.”

Rebecca added: “Hopefully this wellness will last but we are just enjoying everything. The current plan is to continue with the two ONC drugs and to use monies raised to hopefully fund these for the next couple of years and hope and pray we continue to have that long left with him.”

Anyone who can help Bradley with his bucket list can email [email protected] or [email protected].

To make a donation go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/brads-brain-battle?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer.