A dad and his family are sharing the harrowing ordeal faced after he was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour – but new costly treatment will offer the chance to see his kids grow up.
When Robin Elcock, 36, started suffering from frequent headaches, memory loss and cognitive issues, he assumed it was all down to stress.
But over the next few years, as he faced a battle each day to survive – especially within work and taking care of his young family – the dad-of-three knew something far worse was going on.
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He was diagnosed with a grade two brain tumour, which the former farm worker quickly had removed, and was deemed “stable” to continue with life as normal.
Sadly, in April 2023, Robin was told that it had returned – this time, with a vengeance – and wife Aimee, 35, is fearful of him leaving her and their children behind as it’s now incurable.
“I never wanted to bring our children up alone,” the full-time carer, from Gloucestershire, told Need To Know.
“It’s been a real rollercoaster for them and most of their lives have been around him having different treatments, scans and surgeries.
“But the children need their daddy for as long as possible.
“He deserves to see them grow up and be shaped into the wonderful people we’ve brought them up to be.
“It’s cruel to have to think about this while we should just be enjoying the time with our children together.”
Robin, who was initially diagnosed with the seven centimetre tumour in 2018, had the aforementioned surgery – a craniotomy; which removes bone from the skull to expose the brain – followed by a course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
He and his family, including children Katie, 16, George, 14 and Arthur, nine, were overjoyed when it was confirmed that his condition was once again stable.
But at a checkup scan last year, the tumour showed signs of progression and the dad was once again placed on chemotherapy to halt this.
However, it was too late.
He said: “It was such a huge shock.
“The chemotherapy was started to ‘nip it in the bud’ but this only caused more issues.
“I’d been ill all through the summer and when I’d finished treatment, the tumour had grown back as a grade four.
“It was devastating and really frustrating.
“It was like walking the biggest uphill battle with no hope.”
In a bid to stop the tumour in its tracks, he underwent a second craniotomy in December 2023, but after two weeks with no sign of success, it was confirmed that his condition was incurable.
Now, the family have come across a new form of treatment that’s only available in Germany called dendritic cell immunotherapy; using the immune system to recognise and attack abnormal cells.
And while this won’t cure him, it’ll give the chance to have more time together, with success stories reporting up to an extra three years.
But it comes at a price; £15,000 per session.
They’re aiming to fundraise enough money to pay for three treatments, with £49,970 out of £60,000 raised so far.
Aimee added: “It’s frustrating that there are no options like this in the UK.
“But knowing this does exist gives us hope – something we had lost along the way when nothing else was working.
“I just feel something has to work for Robin and maybe this is it.
“We’re so lucky to have an amazing support network.
“It’s a very scary place to be in, but we won’t give up.
“It’d mean the world to get him this treatment, as we want to give him every chance for the longest time with us.
“If this can give us that little bit more time together, then we’ll be grateful as each month comes.”
Robin added: “I hope that with the treatment, I’ll be able to watch my kids grow up for as long as possible.
“I need to try every option while I’m still here – and while I can.
“If it all fails, I know, Aimee knows and our children know that we at least tried everything.”
