Salisbury man living with brain tumour walking 25k for charity

Gavin Burden, 49, had to learn how to walk again after losing 75 per cent of his vision due to a brain tumour which he had partially removed in 1995.

The Salisbury man was playing football with friends when an excruciating headache and vision problems caused him to tell his teammates that he couldn’t stay on the pitch a minute longer. 

By this point, the then-21-year-old carpenter had been suffering from daily migraines for two and a half years. 

He had even been rushed to Salisbury District Hospital on one occasion with suspected meningitis and visits to his GP had not revealed the cause.  

Instead, he was self-medicating to get rid of the pain, which meant routinely “overdosing" on painkillers.

An MRI scan at Southampton General Hospital later showed that Gavin had a brain tumour the size of an egg which medics believed had been slowly growing since he was about five years old.

He underwent a craniotomy and shunts were put in, but the tumour could not be fully removed due to its position.   

Gavin Burden has lived with an irremovable tumour for the past 28 years. (Image: Newsquest)

A piece “the size of a matchstick end” was taken for biopsy and Gavin was left with 109 staples in his head. Despite efforts made in surgery to avoid this, he lost 75 per cent of his sight as a result of the condition.   

Gavin described the effects of this as "soul-destroying", adding: "I always thought I’d lost maybe about 27 per cent sight, but of course couldn’t put a figure on it, not being an ophthalmologist.

"It took me a while to go and get it assessed at the hospital and find out just how badly. When I heard the words “75 per cent" my heart just dropped."

Gavin will celebrate his 50th birthday in March 2024 and he is planning to mark it with a fundraising challenge to benefit The Brain Tumour Charity.

Alongside close friend Louise Worthington, who had her brain tumour removed in 2018, Gavin is looking to find 48 other people to join him in his 50th year on the planet to complete a 25k walk with a fundraising goal of £25k.

The pair hope everyone taking part will raise £500 each. (Image: Newsquest)

December 4, 2023, will mark the 28th anniversary of Gavin's brain tumour diagnosis. He confessed he finds it surreal to have lived with his brain tumour for so long but has a tattoo that partly commemorates his brain tumour battle which reads 'always believe you can'.

"It's a symbol of belief and hope. I want to shout about living with this tumour for almost 28 years and at the same time am very conscious and respectful of those whose situations are sadly not the same as mine," he said.

The group will walk the Thames Bridges Trek on Saturday, September 14, 2024, and Gavin expects it'll take around six hours.

Anyone who would like to sign up should email loungav25kwalk@gmail.com.

Gavin and Louise are collecting donations for the Brain Tumour Charity through Just Giving, visit justgiving.com/team/alwaysbelieveyoucan for more information.