A dad with a “brilliant sense of humour” died at the age of 50 after a tingling sensation in his foot turned out to be an incurable brain tumour.
Ian Deaville was initially worried that the tingling could be a sign of a stroke, only to receive the devastating diagnosis that he had glioblastoma.
The aggressive form of cancer has a life expectancy of only 12-18 months.
Now Ian's family are preparing for a gruelling cycling challenge to raise money to fund research into the condition, as well as pay tribute to his memory.
Despite undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy, engineer Ian, who was also a deacon at a baptist church in his home town of Solihull, lost his mobility and speech and died at home in 2021 surrounded by his family including wife Rachel and children Naomi, 21, and Luke, 19.
Luke, Ian's brother Dave and four of his friends will take part in a coast to coast cycle challenge, which Ian mentioned before he died, to raise funds for research into the disease.
Staffordshire Live reported Dave as saying: "Throughout his diagnosis, my brother remained calm and dignified, despite his fate.
“Of course, he felt frustrated at times, but his strong faith and brilliant sense of humour helped him through.
"Since Ian's diagnosis, I have noticed the desperate need to raise awareness of this disease and better treatment options which can hopefully lead to finding a cure.
“Ian would be proud that we are supporting scientific research into something that is still so unknown."
Dave and Luke will be joined by John Braithwaite, Jonathan Hibbs, Tim Davies and Rob Bridgewater for the challenge, which Dave revealed was something Ian had wanted to do before his condition worsened.
Dave said: "Ian didn’t have a bucket list, but before he passed away. He'd mentioned how he'd have loved to cycle a coast-to-coast challenge.
"This was something that both me and his best friend, Rob, mentioned during his burial and funeral service. From that moment, we knew what we needed to do to honour Ian."
Community development manager at Brain Tumour Research Mel Tiley said: "We’re sorry to hear about Ian’s story and are thankful to Dave for sharing it.
“Unfortunately, Ian’s story isn’t unique - there is no cure for the disease and treatment can often be gruelling.
“By taking on the coast to coast cycle, Dave, Luke, John, Jonathan, Tim and Rob are raising awareness and helping to find the fight to find a cure for this devastating disease."
