Beloved Littlehampton grandmother died from brain cancer; daughter now determined for find a cure for disease

Heidi Clevett, 34, from Southsea in Hampshire, is taking on a 100km (62 miles) five-day canoe of The Great Glen Canoe Trail in Scotland from Fort William to Loch Ness, raising money for the charity Brain Tumour Research.

Heidi is fundraising in memory of her mum, Elaine Clevett – from Littlehampton in West Sussex – who died aged 60, just four months after she was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM).

Heidi, who has a four-year-old daughter of her own, said: “When compared to other cancers, there is only a very limited number of treatments available to brain tumour patients.

"As evident in mum’s case, they can be and often are invasive. What happened to my mum was awful to watch.

"As a parent, it makes you think what if this should this happen to your little one and that’s terrifying. Brain tumours don’t care about your age or status. They are relentless which is why we must invest in the research into brain tumours now.”

Beloved grandmother-of-one Elaine suffered a stroke following an operation to remove the cancer. She was rushed into surgery for a second time, which left her with significant brain damage. Elaine died at Fulford Care & Nursing Home in Littlehampton on December 1, 2021.

Heidi is now focusing on her fundraising challenge, in her mum’s memory, to try to do her bit to ensure other families don’t have to experience the same pain.

“From what other people who have completed the event have told me, Loch Ness is the tricky part as it's super long and isn't very sheltered, so it can get quite choppy,” Heidi said.

"It’s completely different to my days as a dingy instructor and being on a paddleboard which is how I got into water sports. Almost the extreme opposite of my last fundraiser which was a 28-hour non-stop walk along the Isle of Wight coast.”

Formed from a geological tear, boasting stunning scenery, the challenge will be far from plain sailing for Heidi who works as the head of technology for the Coastguard.

Heidi will need to average 20km a day as she puts her upper body to the test.

She added: “I’ll be responsible for all of my kit, setting up camp and packing it down as I will be wild camping along the route which will be an adventure itself. The weather is making me nervous.

"Blue skies would be ideal, but it could be chucking it down at the end of April although that seems like a better option than being joined by midges which populate Scotland’s waterways later in the year.”

Earlier in the year, Heidi visited one of the charity’s Centres of Excellence, bearing witness to research into the disease which killed her mum.

She said: “Seeing the research and work being done to help find kinder treatments and ultimately a cure for brain tumours was incredible. The passion of the researchers and scientists empowered me to want to continue fundraising to try and raise enough money to be able to sponsor another day of research.”

One in three people know someone affected by a brain tumour, yet just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002.

Louise Aubrey, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Elaine’s story is a truly devastating reminder that in the UK, 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour. Brain tumours are not rare.

"Just 12 per cent of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 54 per cent across all cancers. It’s with the support and generosity of people such as Heidi that will help us fund research to be able to find kinder treatments and ultimately a cure for this indiscriminate disease.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the government and larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure.

"The charity is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.”

To donate to Brain Tumour Research via Heidi’s fundraiser, please visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Heidi-Clevett.