Parents vow to fundraise after daughter’s brain tumour

A grieving mother and father have launched vowed to boost funding for research into brain tumours following the devastating death of their 17-year-old daughter.
Emma Sim, of Peterhead, who died last month from a brain tumour aged just 17.Emma Sim, of Peterhead, who died last month from a brain tumour aged just 17.
Emma Sim, of Peterhead, who died last month from a brain tumour aged just 17.

Emma Sim died less than two years after first suffering a blinding headache which led to her diagnosis.

Now her parents, Heather and Graeme, have launched a fundraisnig campaign after learning of the high number of young people who die from this type of cancer - and the tiny proportion of funding that goes into reseach.

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Mrs Sim, 46, of Peterhead, said: “When Emma was diagnosed we were devastated and it was very scary. They say your life can change in a split second and it is true.

“Emma was brilliant, so brave and had the attitide that it had to had to happen to someone. She was unbelievble, going through an operation and chemotherapy, but never felt sorry for herself.

“When we read about The Brain Tumour Charity we realised that is it mostly funded by people like us, people who have lost their children.

“Brain tumours kill more children and young people under 40 than any other cancer but it gets just two per cent of funding for cancer research.

“In a lot of cases, they don’t know why people get brain tumours. We just feel the profile of this needs to be raised.

“What has happened to Emma is absolutely heartbreaking but we just want to help other families if we can.”

Friends and family have rallied to the cause, with Emma’s uncle raising £6,500 for the charity after cycling from Cambodia to Vietnam.

Fashion shows have been held, home made toffee sold, a soup and sweet organised and a sky dive completed in memory of Emma.

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Her sister Ellie, 14, is also preparing for a sponsored 10km run.

Emma first started to feel unwell when she was studying for her National 5 prelims.

Mrs Sim said her daughter loved to study and hoped to go to university and get a good job.

Emma also loved her family and friends enjoyed nothing more than when everyone was together at the weekends.

Mrs Sim said: “Her family and her friends, that was her thing. She was just a really happy girl and her smile lit up the room.

“She had a lovely personality and everybody loved Emma.

“For your child never to have been ill and then told she has a brain tumour was absolutely devastating. And to watch one of children suffer like that, well there is nothing harder.”

More information can be found at www.justgiving.com/emma-sim17.

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