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Surrey leader on daughter's cancer

Surrey leader Tim Oliver on his daughter's campaign for research into brain cancer.

He is leader of Surrey County Council trying to transform the lives of over one million people.
But Councillor Tim Oliver is also a dad fulfilling a promise to his youngest child.聽
For when he is not in the council chamber Mr Oliver has been spending the past few weeks at the Princess Alice Hospice in Esher where his youngest daughter Emily is receiving end of life care.聽
And he has promised to do all he can to help raise awareness of her mission 鈥 to fund more research into finding treatment and cures for the rare brain tumour she was diagnosed with last year.聽
Emily was diagnosed in January 2018 with a glioblastoma brain tumour 鈥 a rare and aggressive type of tumour with little known cures or treatments.聽
She set out to raise funds for The Brain Tumour Charity to provide hope and help and on her 21st birthday in October last year launched a campaign 鈥 Emily Oliver鈥檚 Fighting Fund.聽
Cllr Oliver, who is taking part in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 cycling event next month to raise money and awareness of the campaign, said as a family they are doing all they can to promote the need for vital research.
He said: 鈥淎s a parent 鈥 to lose a child is possibly one of the worst things that can happen. We just want to try and help. If we can stop one family going through what we have gone through it will be amazing.鈥
After a full day working on council business, the Conservative council leader, member for Weybridge, is spending the evenings at his daughter鈥檚 bedside in the hospice along with his wife, Debbie, and two other children James, 25 and Charlotte, 26.聽
Son James will also be taking part in the charity ride.聽
Since her diagnosis, Emily and the family have gone to see medics in America and Germany for trial treatment 鈥 taking advice from the family of Dame Tessa Jowell who died in May last year from brain cancer.聽
But nothing has worked and Emily was admitted to the hospice eight weeks ago.聽
Cllr Oliver added: 鈥淎ll the way through this illness she has fought hard. We tried to look at getting her home, but the hospice thinks she is better looked after in that environment.鈥
Before Easter cllr Oliver spoke to his daughter about taking part in the cycle ride and promised her he would do all he could to raise awareness of her campaign for more research into brain tumours.聽
He added: 鈥淗er level of awareness is very limited but we talk to her a lot. She was aware I was going to do the cycle ride this year and this is what she wanted us to do 鈥 to raise the profile.鈥
Emily鈥檚 fundraising page has so far raised over 拢28,000 since it started last October.聽
Cllr Oliver added: 鈥淧eople ask why I still do the council thing, but it鈥檚 because I genuinely want to try and make a difference and help 鈥 particularly for the most vulnerable and young in our society. I have first hand experience.聽
鈥淭his type of cancer is the biggest killer of under 40鈥檚 for any form of cancer. It鈥檚 massive.鈥
Cllr Oliver has taken part in the ride before 鈥 last year riding for Shooting Star children鈥檚 hospice where bosses have recently spoken about the struggles they face funding all the care needed.聽
He added: 鈥淗ospices are massively underfunded and rely on charitable donations. I鈥檓 determined to try and get some proper funding for them from the Government. The care Emily is receiving is unbelievable. But it鈥檚 funded by charity.鈥
Cllr Oliver will be riding with son James in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 on Sunday, August 4.

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