Running in Memory of Dad: Sam’s City-Bay Challenge for Glioblastoma Research

This City-Bay, Sam is running in memory of his dad, who sadly passed away from glioblastoma (GBM) in July this year. Read his story here.

Before his diagnosis, Paul ran his own gardening and home maintenance business, always putting in extra effort for his clients. He also built genuine connections with the people he worked for. Sometimes, his clients needed someone to talk to just as much as they needed their roses pruned or their lawn mowed. It was clear how much he meant to people, especially at Christmas with the number of presents he would come home with from his clients.

Everything changed in August 2023, when Paul began experiencing some strange symptoms. He wasn’t recognising some people that he had known for 30 years, had a severe headache, and was generally confused. After being admitted to the RAH, Paul was diagnosed with glioblastoma, which was likely only there for around three months prior. Paul underwent six weeks of daily radiation and chemotherapy with temozolomide, followed by another six months of chemotherapy.

His tumour was unmethylated, making it more resistant to standard chemotherapy. Just two months after finishing chemotherapy, a scan showed the tumour had already grown back to almost its original size. From July 2024, Paul began a new treatment of bevacizumab infusions every three weeks. At first, the treatment reduced the visible tumour and things continued successfully until early this year, when MRI scans showed new tumour growth. Paul passed away in July 2026.

Throughout his treatment, Paul always had a smile on his face and remained optimistic, but always missed his work and scuba diving which his diagnosis prevented him from continuing.

For his son, Sam, the City-Bay 12km run is both a personal challenge and a way to remember his dad. Sam hadn’t done much running before, but he has memories of doing the 6km City-Bay with his dad when he was a kid. When he registered, Sam realised he could fundraise for a charity, and the NRF was his first choice. His mum has attended the Adelaide Brain Tumour Support Group supported by the NRF, and their family has also attended our Grey May Lab Tours.

Through these experiences, Sam has seen the difference the NRF is making for people affected by brain tumours. Sadly, there haven’t been any new treatments for GBM for a long time. As he says, research and raising community awareness is the best way to change that.

If you’d like to support Sam in his City-Bay challenge and help fund vital brain tumour research, you can donate through his fundraiser.

Every donation makes a difference.