Family and friends of Derek Isaacs, from Cambridge, have collectively donated close to £11,300 to the charity Brain Tumour Research after he died from a glioblastoma in August 2023, aged 62, nine months after diagnosis. On January 16, Derek’s wife, Sigrid Fisher, along with his brother, Richard Isaacs, were invited to the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at Imperial College London to find out how the donations in Derek’s memory are helping support scientists working to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients with high-grade glioma, including glioblastoma. Family donate to Brain Tumour Research after Cambridge man's death (Image: Supplied) Glioblastoma is the most common high-grade brain tumour among adults, with an average survival prognosis of 12 to 18 months.
Derek was diagnosed with a glioblastoma in November 2022 after experiencing numbness in his leg, tiredness, some forgetfulness, and his doctor noticing he had a slight right-sided face droop. He underwent surgery but suffered a seizure and brain bleeds shortly after, from which he never fully recovered. Sigrid said: “Derek was a self-employed building surveyor and drove about 30,000 miles a year.
"We weren’t able to take long holidays, so for years we’d been preparing financially for retirement and giving up work. "Only two weeks before everything happened and Derek was diagnosed, we’d put in an offer to buy a place nearer the coast. “Derek had already started turning down contracts for.
