Derry family and friends raise £38,000 in memory of late teacher who passed aged 35 from brain tumour

Family and friends of a local school teacher who lost her life to a brain tumour last year have been keeping her memory alive and raising awareness of the disease by fundraising together.

Last week, alongside Brain Tumour Research, they held a charity ball at the Everglades Hotel in Derry on Saturday November 5 which attracted around 270 guests.

The incredible generosity of the guests means that a further £18,000 will be donated to the charity Brain Tumour Research from the event.

Nicola Robinson, mum to four-year-old Alfie and Amelia, seven, was a teacher at Fountain Primary School. 

Nicola's family say she has left a void 'that can never be filled'

In 2018, Nicola was diagnosed with a diffuse astrocytoma brain tumour after suffering for a couple of weeks with headaches and dizzy spells.

Despite two seven-hour awake craniotomies at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, as well as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, nothing could stop the growth of the tumour and Nicola sadly passed away, aged 35, in October 2021, leaving a huge void in the lives of her family and friends.

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research is allocated to this devastating disease.

Nicola was passionate about raising awareness and funds for research to find a cure for brain tumours and so earlier this year, her family including husband Alan, set up Stronger Together for Nicola, a Fundraising Group under the umbrella of Brain Tumour Research.

The ball last weekend was a culmination of various events and challenges friends and family have taken on in 2022 which has resulted in the Fundraising Group already raising an incredible £62,000 to help find a cure for brain tumours as it creates a legacy for Nicola.

Tania Faverzani, who attended the event at the Everglades representing Brain Tumour Research said: “There was so much love and emotion for Nicola in the room. I spoke to many of the guests and almost every one of them had a personal connection with her.”

Nicola's husband, Alan, 38, said: “We laughed and we cried. We raised much-needed funds and awareness, but most importantly we remembered my beautiful wife; the one missing piece in our jigsaw.

"Nicola was literally one of a kind. A beautiful girl not only on the outside but her inner beauty and kindness was something rarely found. She was the perfect mummy to our children and would have done anything for anyone.

"Nicola being her usual self worried only about me and her two young children and her family when she was diagnosed.

"After the doctors gave us the terrible news in Altnagelvin Hospital, her first words were, 'My poor babies.'

"On the 13th October 2021 at 9:10am Nicola passed away surrounded by her family leaving a huge void in all our lives which can never be filled.

"Now, we aim to raise awareness and funds for The Brain Tumour Research charity in Nicola's memory and hopefully one day new treatments can be found and made available to patients facing this horrible disease."

Stronger Together for Nicola also took part in a couple of Brain Tumour Research’s Facebook fundraisers earlier in the year, as well as holding a barbecue and there was a sponsored walk at the primary school where Nicola was a teacher.

More than £38,000 of the £60,000 raised came from Team Nicola, which included Alan, a complete novice to long-distance running, taking on six half-marathons across Northern Ireland and the Belfast City Marathon.

Stronger Together for Nicola running group at the Belfast City Marathon

Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research said: “ Brain tumours are indiscriminate and can affect anyone at any age. Less than 12% of patients survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers.

“We are very grateful to Alan and everyone behind Stronger Together for Nicola for their incredible support which will sponsor the equivalent of 21 days of research. 

"One in three people knows someone who has been affected by a brain tumour so we need to focus on funding vital research to help find better outcomes for brain tumour patients and ultimately a cure.”

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. 

The charity is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia and is also campaigning for greater repurposing of drugs.

To donate to Stronger Together for Nicola please visit: www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/ALAN-ROBINSON31