A teacher who survived a brain tumour as a child is running a half marathon in memory of a child at her school in Isleworth who succumbed to the disease.

Emma Bassett teaches at Isleworth Town Primary School, a pupil from which died of a brain tumour ahead of the summer break this year.

The 25-year-old will run the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon next Sunday (October 9) in memory of the youngster, who cannot be named, and of the teacher's close friend Tasha Floyd, who died of a brain tumour last Christmas.

"There are just 10 days until the race and in that time around 290 people will be diagnosed with a brain tumour," she said, speaking on Thursday, September 29.

Brain tumour research spending 'ridiculously low'

"Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of those aged under 40, yet they receive just 1% of the national spend on cancer research, which is ridiculous.

"We're running in memory of Tasha and the child from my school to try to increase the amount spent researching brain tumours and hopefully prevent other people like them from dying."

Emma will line up alongside her younger brother Oliver and her friend Laura Thomson to complete the run in aid of The Brain Tumour Charity .

Emma Bassett with the rest of the 'Brainy Bunch'

As well as raising money for the charity to fund research and support those with brain tumours, the trio, calling themselves the "Brainy Bunch", hope to increase awareness of the deadly disease and its symptoms.

Emma owes life to roller coaster at Thorpe Park

Emma knows only to well the dangers it poses. As well as losing her friend and one of her pupils to the disease, she was lucky to survive after contracting the disease aged 12.

As getwestlondon reported earlier this year, she would almost certainly have died were it not for her riding a roller coaster at Thorpe Park , which shifted a dangerous build-up of fluid within her skull.

She was told she would never walk or talk again, following her diagnosis, but confounded medical experts by making a full recovery.

She is now a young ambassador for The Brain Tumour Charity and this year travelled to the European Parliament in Brussels to campaign for better funding for research into the disease.

You can sponsor Emma and the rest of the "Brainy Bunch", who hope to raise £1,000, by visiting their JustGiving page.

Common brain tumour symptoms in children

  • Persistent vomiting/feelings of nausea (over a two week period)
  • Recurring headache (over a four week period, particularly on waking)
  • Abnormal eye movements
  • Fits or seizures
  • Behaviour change
  • Abnormal balance/walking/co-ordination
  • Blurred/double vision
  • Abnormal head position (such as a head tilt)
  • Delayed or arrested puberty (puberty that doesn't start, or starts but doesn't progress as expected)

* Symptoms according to The Brain Tumour Charity, which advises parents to see their GP if their child is displaying one or more of these signs. If the child has two or more symptoms, the charity says parents should request an urgent referral.