Sportsmen, soap actors, and social media and reality TV stars took to the pitch at Sandhurst Town Football Club’s SB stadium at the weekend (Sunday 28th January) for a charity football match raising funds in memory of a teenager who died of a brain tumour.
Ethan Treharne was just 17 when he died of a glioblastoma (GBM) – an aggressive brain tumour which a devastating average prognosis of just 12 to18 months – in November 2021. Since his death, Ethan’s parents, Nikki and Justin, have raised more than £35,000 for the charity Brain Tumour Research.
Nikki, from Owlsmoor, said: “I’ve was blown away by the response we had from celebrities, which included Paul Wood from Woody and Kleiny – the dynamic YouTube and Instagram entertainers, sportsmen Jamie O’Hara (he played for Spurs and is now a presenter on talkSPORT) and Jeremy Lynch (a F2 freestyler), actors Dean Gaffney and Ricky Groves from EastEnders as well as stars of reality programmes like Love Island and Married at First Sight, but my two younger children, Finlay and Martha, are beyond excited that YouTuber and musician Yung Filly has agreed to play!
“And it’s really touching that three of Ethan’s friends – Fred Baldwin, Lewis Campbell and Dylan Henry – who all knew Ethan from nursery school and all the way through school, played alongside the celebs.”
Ethan, who would have turned 20 on 29th January, played for Sandhurst Town FC girls and boys from the age of four and was also goalie for Aldershot Academy. He was awarded player of the season at Crowthorne Cricket Club and was also a talented basketball player for Bracknell and Wokingham College and Bracknell Cobras until the inevitable progression of his brain tumour forced him onto the sidelines as a spectator.
Speaking after the event, Nikki said: “It was an incredible day with so much good will and support. I had the opportunity to talk to the celebs and other players in the changing room before the match and tell them about Ethan and what he went through and why we’re supporting Brain Tumour Research to bring hope to families in the future. It obviously resonated with everyone because after the match the celebs stayed around, happy to do signatures and selfies and to have a slice of Ethan’s birthday cake.
“I want to thank everyone who helped make the day such a success and particularly everyone at Sandhurst FC, Nicky Chambers and her staff from Off the Pitch Consultancy and Kevin Cooper from Sellebrity Soccer. Their support was truly amazing.”
The final score was 8-8 but Woody’s team came out on top after penalties. The final fundraising total is still being calculated but should be more than £14,000.
Nikki, who last year received the Fundraiser Award at BBC Berkshire’s Make a Difference Awards in recognition of her support of Brain Tumour Research, added: “I am sure if Ethan had survived, he would have been out partying to celebrate his birthday. He was such a big character, with great banter and a wide circle of friends, but he also loved spending time with his family.
“He was so brave and selfless and never complained about what life had dealt him in the shape of brain cancer, even when it took everything from him, before it eventually also took his life. Ethan is my inspiration to lead a better life. I don’t want him ever to be forgotten.”
Whilst preparing for his GCSEs, Ethan experienced severe headaches and slurred speech. He was eventually diagnosed with a GBM. Over the course of two years, Ethan endured three operations, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, developed epilepsy and underwent private immunotherapy treatment in Germany, but nothing could save him. He died on 26 November 2021.
After losing their son, Nikki and husband Justin set up A New Hope for Ethan, a fundraising group under the umbrella of Brain Tumour Research. Their fundraising total, so far is enough to sponsor the equivalent of 12 days of research at one of the charity’s Centres of Excellence.
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.
The football fundraiser was put on with the support of Sellebrity Soccer. A match held last year to mark Ethan’s 19thbirthday had an attendance of more than 2,000, raising around £21,000 which was split between Brain Tumour Research and Frimley Health Charity.
This year all the proceeds from ticket sales, a raffle, cake sale and merchandise will go to Brain Tumour Research to help find more effective treatments and ultimately a cure.
Melanie Tiley, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “Brain tumours are indiscriminate and can affect anyone at any age and with one in three people knowing someone affected, this devastating disease is far from unique. This has to change.
“We’re really grateful to all who support A New Hope for Ethan and especially the Treharne family which in turn supports Brain Tumour Research in its mission to find a cure for all brain tumours.”
Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and 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.
To add your donation in memory of Ethan go to https://braintumourresearch.org/blogs/donate/donate-now and give your reason as A New Hope for Ethan
Photos by Paul King and Sarah King
