Devon family honours couple who died months apart with brain tumour research tribute

A family from Cullompton has dedicated nine days of brain tumour research at the University of Plymouth in memory of a father and his former partner, the mother of their 14-year-old daughter, who both died within two months of each other.

After raising more than £24,000 for Brain Tumour Research, the family visited the charity’s Centre of Excellence in Plymouth last week to see how their fundraising is helping scientists improve diagnosis and treatment for brain tumour patients.

The Centre, one of Europe’s leading research institutes for low-grade brain tumours, is proactively working with national and international groups to swiftly translate their research into clinical benefit for patients.

The family’s support for the charity follows the tragic loss of Steve Morrissey, 50, who died in October 2023 from a glioblastoma brain tumour.

Just two months earlier, in August, his former partner Ali Slaymaker, 49, had died after breast cancer metastasised to her brain. 

Steve, a senior sales manager, was diagnosed after collapsing at home in July 2022. An MRI scan in July 2022 found three tumours in his brain. At the same time Ali was living with a brain tumour as a result of a previous cancer diagnosis.

Despite undergoing surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, his cancer became too aggressive, and he died in Hospiscare Exeter, where he spent his final weeks with his daughter and family.

During Brain Tumour Awareness Month, Steve’s nieces and nephew Abi Coffey, Natalie and Ben Brown, along with Abi’s husband Shane, Ben’s fiancée Kaylie Radford, and Steve’s sister Lizzie and her husband Richard Dibble, visited the research centre to dedicate their fundraising efforts.

They toured the lab and placed nine tiles in memory of Steve and Ali on the Wall of Hope – each tile representing a day of research costing £2,740.

Ben Brown said: “Our family has experienced so much heartache because of the lack of treatment options for brain tumour patients. It’s devastated us. I think I’m still processing the shock of losing my uncle Steve so soon after Ali.”

The family’s fundraising efforts included a cycle challenge in June, where Steve’s friends and relatives rode from Bury St Edmunds to Cullompton, raising over £19,700. A grand prize draw organised by Abi raised a further £4,400.

Abi added: “The Government doesn’t give enough money to research brain tumours, and it doesn’t recognise the terrible impact they have on families. It’s some comfort to think that the donations made in memory of Steve and Ali are helping to make a difference for people diagnosed in the future.”

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under 40 than any other cancer, more women under 35 than breast cancer, and more men under 70 than prostate cancer. Despite this, just 1% of the UK’s national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002.

Louise Aubrey, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “We’re so grateful to Steve’s family for their incredible support. Their visit to our Centre of Excellence in Plymouth highlights how crucial research is in improving treatment options and, ultimately, finding a cure.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated UK centres and campaigns for increased government funding. The charity calls for an annual spend of £35 million on brain tumour research to improve survival rates and patient outcomes, bringing funding levels in line with other cancers.

Steve and Ali's family are still actively fundraising.

To sponsor a day of research, click here.