On the 10th anniversary of a massive seizure which led to his brain tumour diagnosis, a Bath pastor is raising awareness of the disease which kills more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.

Andrew Stammers is asking people to join him in donning a hat and making a donation to the charity Brain Tumour Research this Friday 26 March on what is Wear A Hat Day and asking friends and family to do the same.

Having originally been given a survival prognosis of just two years, the Rev Andrew Stammers, 47, of St Philip and St James Church, Odd Down, Bath, counts his blessings every day that he remains a survivor.

Andrew has marked every birthday he has been fortunate to celebrate since his diagnosis by doing a fundraising challenge, including walking Hadrian’s Wall and cycling from the pier at Weston-super-Mare to Walton-on-the-Naze pier in Essex, raising close to £10,000 for Brain Tumour Research.

A manager at Optima Products in Radstock, where he also lives, Andrew said: “I had no symptoms leading up to the seizure, but I woke up in the early hours of 27 March 2011 covered in blood because I had bitten my tongue and with paramedics leaning over me. Initially I thought they were burglars, but my wife Suzanne explained that she had called an ambulance and they were taking me to hospital.

“At first, the A&E team thought I’d had a stroke, but I knew enough about the effects of a stroke on a person’s coordination from medical training when I was in the Merchant Navy to be pretty sure that mine was fine. A CT scan and subsequent MRI showed a large black, tennis-ball-sized shape in my brain which was diagnosed as a tumour.

“I underwent a scary, awake craniotomy on what was thought to be a low-grade brain tumour and remember being asked to name pictures of things and spell words. As soon as I made a mistake the neurosurgeons knew they were getting too close to my speech and understanding sensors.

“A couple of weeks later, I received the devastating news that in fact the tumour was aggressive and was likely to grow back in one to two years.

“I underwent radiotherapy for six weeks and continue to have regular scans to monitor for regrowth.

“The impact on my family has been enormous. I have three daughters ranging from 12 to 21, with Anwyn, the youngest, unable to remember life before Dad had a brain tumour.

“I had to give up my driving licence because of the seizure and having brain surgery and I still haven’t reapplied for it. Instead, I rely on buses to get about.

“I suffer with fatigue and have to be careful not to juggle too many things at once – I remind myself to finish one thing at a time. I also am very aware that I can get quite frustrated at times, especially if I think everyone’s talking too much about a project, rather than just getting on and doing it!

“But from a faith perspective, I am witness to the miraculous. It would have been so easy to accept my prognosis, but instead I have put myself in God’s hands. It’s not always been easy, but I am so thankful I have my family, my house and a job. And, of course, my life.

“In the week of my 10th anniversary, Suzanne and I will be tipping our hats and joining in the fun of Wear A Hat Day for a serious cause, in the grateful knowledge that I continue to defy the odds!”

This year’s Wear A Hat Day is paying tribute to key worker families who have played a pivotal role throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Brain Tumour Research is inviting people to join in the fun of Wear A Hat Day by donning their best headwear from beanies to cowboy hats, flat caps to Panamas, baseball caps to berets.

Now in its 12th year, Wear A Hat Day has raised more than £2 million to help fund the fight against the disease. It is one of the UK’s biggest and best-loved brain tumour research awareness and fundraising days.

Melanie Tiley, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research said: “It’s so touching to see people are once again embracing Wear A Hat Day, one year on from the outbreak of COVID-19 in the UK. We are really grateful to Andrew and his family for raising awareness.

“Our supporters’ dedication in these unprecedented times is genuine and inspiring and we can’t wait to join them in putting on our hats, having some fun and raising money to fund sustainable research that will bring us closer to a cure for brain tumours.

“Just 12% of brain tumour patients survive beyond five years whereas, for cancers such as breast and leukaemia, the figures are 70% and 40% respectively because of greater investment for research in those areas.

“Please join us this Wear A Hat Day – let’s have fun and make a difference.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and the 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.

Whilst COVID-19 restrictions still apply, the charity is politely reminding supporters to observe safety measures when planning their events. Families, friends, workplaces and schools can however, still come together safely, virtually or in-person where restrictions allow, to raise money for this vital cause.

You can register to take part at www.wearahatday.org

#WearAHatDay