Rugby day out gives brave dad boost in cancer battle

THE condition of a terminally ill dad has worsened since his diagnosis two years ago despite all attempts to halt the disease.

Simon Cromack, 51, a former landlord of the Baskerville pub in Shiplake, was diagnosed with glioblastoma in November 2023.

Fundraising raised more than £282,000, which has allowed the aggressive tumour to be stabilised using advanced treatments such as immunotherapy and an Optune cap, which uses alternating low-frequency electrical fields to kill cells within the tumour.

Recent scans revealed the original tumour has grown and begun to spread, affecting his mobility, meaning he now has to use a wheelchair.

Simon’s brother, Jason Cromack, 55, a director of data and marketing services, who lives in Bath and moved from Henley in 2004, said: “After having a couple of positive scans, predominantly showing stabilisation, more recent ones show it’s started to spread across his mobility pathway to the other side of the brain.”

To mark the two-year anniversary, his family attended the England v New Zealand rugby game at the Allianz Stadium Twickenham to witness England’s first win against the side since the 2019 World Cup.

England Rugby refunded a ticket and moved the family to the accessibility area, allowing Simon’s wife, Steff, to attend.

Jason said: “The staff and the team at Twickenham were incredible at looking after us, as originally, we were right at the top of a middle tier with lots of stairs.

“He loved the game, as you can imagine, being such a big rugby fan. He was joking with everyone, and there wasn’t a single moment we talked about the situation. We were all just having a laugh down at the rugby like a normal day, but this time with Simon in a wheelchair.”

The family continues to explore emerging treatments, trials and new personalised immunotherapy that targets the tumour’s mutating genetic make-up, as surgery is not viable.

Jason said: “This costs a lot more than the standard treatment, at more than £50,000, and the funds are limited now because of the ongoing visits to Cologne for the immunotherapy and for the Optune cap, which has been a staple, but we have to be a bit careful how we use the money now.

“We have around £60,000 left and options, but we will need to raise more because the whole point here is to keep giving Simon as much time as possible. From a positive perspective, we’ve had Christmas of 2023 and 2024, and 2025 is just around the corner. Prognosis is typically around 12 to
18 months, and we’re over the two-year mark, so we just have to keep doing what we’re doing.”

Jason praised Steff, Simon’s wife, for her strength throughout the last two years, despite losing her mother to cancer earlier this year.

He said: “Steff is one of the kindest, most remarkable and laid-back human beings. We’re incredibly lucky as she has such a positive outlook on everything despite it being a real challenge for her.”

The family is looking ahead to attending the Big Game 17 at Twickenham Stadium on December 20, when Harlequins Women will play against Bristol Bears.

It is hoped that Simon’s daughter, Ella, will be selected to play.

To donate go to: www.givesimontime.com