Record chemotherapy patient focussed on others - wife

The wife of a cancer fundraiser who died with a brain tumour has said he did not allow "the disease to define or defeat him", but rather chose to "focus on others who were also suffering".

Father-of-two Ben Lindon, 46, from Malvern, passed away last Thursday, 16 years after he was diagnosed with an aggressive and rare tumour called an oligodendroglioma, the charity Brain Tumour Research said.

He is thought to have undergone more chemotherapy than any other patient in the UK and went on to raise £10,000 through a series of challenges, including marathons.

His wife Kate said he "wanted others to have a fighting chance" and knew that raising funds for charity "was the only way of doing that".

She is following in her husband's footsteps, working with Brain Tumour Research to raise awareness of the disease.

The charity's head of fundraising, Katrina Jones, described Ben as "an extraordinary individual whose courage, determination and tireless fundraising inspired everyone who knew him".

The charity said the risks were too high to remove Mr Lindon's tumour surgically, and he underwent 120 cycles of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

The former journalist and retained firefighter for Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service also completed the Three Peaks Challenge, the London Marathon, and a 1,000-mile bike ride from John O'Groats to Land's End.

During his 100th chemo cycle in 2017, he kayaked 100 miles along the River Wye, supported by mementos from his children.

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