Glasgow family heartbroken after dad dies weeks after headache turned out to be cancer

A Glasgow family are heartbroken after a much-loved dad died just weeks after being diagnosed with cancer.

Allan Campbell, 52, was hit with the shock stage 4 Glioblastoma brain tumour diagnosis on New Years Eve 2022, before sadly passing away just nine weeks later on March 8.

Allan - who was a taxi driver all his life - began to become more forgetful, to the point where he was losing his sense of direction with his usual daily routes.

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Speaking to Glasgow Live, daughter Niamh, 25, said: "It came on very quickly - the first symptoms we noticed was forgetfulness.

"He was a taxi driver his whole life but would get in his car and forget how to get to the shop down the road. Then he developed a few personality changes, he would feel anxious which was unusual for dad.

"It then came to light that he was having headaches, which he never told us about - but, the doctor thought it was due to his caffeine intake."

It wasn't until Allan visited an opticians that the severity of his symptoms became clear. Niamh continued: "On New Years Eve my dads wife took him to the opticians thinking he maybe needed new glasses or something - that's when the optician picked up something dark behind his eye.

"After initially thinking it could have been a stroke he was sent straight up to A&E where within an hour and a half he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer."

After his shock diagnosis Allan remained in hospital for a couple of days before returning home where he "wanted to be", with Niamh saying, "that is where he remained until he passed away".

Niamh and Kimberly Campbell will be hosting a casino night in aid of Brain Tumour Research after losing their beloved dad. The sisters wanted to do something fun in a bid to raise cash for Brain Tumour Research, which is when the idea of a casino night came into play.

On June 7, just two days before Allan's birthday, the girls will host the event in Drumchapel in "celebration" and "memory" of their dads life.

Desperate to raise money and awareness of the cruel disease, the sisters relayed their story during a GoFundMe post - it reads: "On the 31st of December 2022 our Dad was diagnosed with a Stage 4 Glioblastoma brain tumour (GMB). After a short, courageous and determined fight with the illness we lost our Dad on the 8th of March 2023.

"In memory of our Dad, we will be holding a fundraiser for the Brain Tumour Research charity on the 7th of June. Brain tumours are massively underfunded yet historically, only 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease (Brain Tumour Research Charity, 2024).

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"Brain Tumour Research is determined to change this and have built a network of experts in sustainable research at dedicated Centres of Excellence, whilst influencing the Government and large cancer charities to invest more nationally.

"We hope that the funds we raise can help contribute to finding new treatments for this horrible disease and prevent future families enduring the heartbreak we have sustained.

"Massive thank you in advance to anyone who supports our efforts in making a difference!"

For more on Brain Tumour Research click here, and to donate to Niamh and Kimberly's fundraiser visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/brain-tumour-research-in-memory-of-allan-campbell.

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