A HEARTBROKEN dad has completed a challenging Snowdon trek in honour of his son, who died from one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of brain cancer.
Ryan Hughes, aged 27 and from Kidderminster, was a fit and healthy young man and county rugby player who was first diagnosed with the cancer in October 2017.
What began as a headache after a rugby weekend quickly escalated into a devastating discovery.
A CT scan at Worcestershire Royal Hospital revealed a bleed on the brain and Ryan was blue-lighted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where an MRI confirmed the shocking news, a 4cm tumour – glioblastoma – at the back of his brain.
Ryan’s dad, Paul, aged 58, said: “We were in complete shock, nothing prepares you to hear your child has a brain tumour.
“We just couldn’t take it in.”
Ryan underwent six hours of surgery at the QE in December 2017 to remove 90 per cent of the tumour, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
He responded well to treatment, and just weeks after surgery, was home for Christmas.
In the years that followed, he became a father to daughter Mia in 2021 and married his wife Meagan in 2023.
He also started his own landscape gardening business.
But the family’s hope was short-lived. In May 2024, Ryan began repeating conversations, and although his routine scan initially appeared clear, his condition worsened. A second scan revealed a new tumour at the front of his brain.
Ryan underwent further treatment, but this time, surgery was not an option.
“We knew the tumour would reappear eventually, we never asked how long he had, Ryan didn’t want to know,” said Paul.
“From that moment, things moved fast. His mobility and speech deteriorated, and treatment had no effect. It was devastating.”
Ryan died at home on December 12, 2024, surrounded by his family.
Paul said: “Losing Ryan has left a hole in our lives that can never be filled.
“But in those final weeks, he was surrounded by the people who loved him most.
“We cared for him at home, and we made sure he knew how much he was loved every single day.
“Brain tumours take too many lives, and without more funding, nothing will change. We need better treatments and real hope for families like ours.”
Ryan had previously joined Paul in the Aberdovey Bike Ride in 2019 to raise funds for Brain Tumour Research.
Paul said: “That was the best day of our lives doing that together, a memory I will never forget. Through it all, Sarah, my wife, gave us so much support. She kept us all going.”
This year, Paul, along with a team of supporters and friends, joined fundraising group Raising4 Ria to climb Wales’ highest peak, raising vital funds for the charity. Raising4Ria was formed in memory of Ria, who also died from a glioblastoma in her twenties. Ria, a close friend of Paul’s goddaughter, endured two brain surgeries, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy in Germany before her death at just 25.
The team raised £3,595 for Brain Tumour Research, which funds long-term research at centres of excellence across the UK. Despite being the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40, brain tumours receive less than one per cent of the national spend on cancer research.
To add your support to the charity and help find a cure, visit: https://braintumourresearch.org/
