In the UK, 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour, with less than 12% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour surviving beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers.
Historically, just 1% of the national spending on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours.
A teenager from Bedfordshire will take part in the Queens’ Baton Relay ahead of next month’s Commonwealth Games in honour of her sister was nominated for the Queen’s Baton Relay, but died of a brain tumour in February.
The eldest of three sisters, Amani Liaquat was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour after collapsing at home on her 22nd birthday in April 2020, during the pandemic.
The 23-year-old Masters’s student and first-class honours law graduate from Luton, died in February on her sister Ruqayyah’s 21st birthday, less than two years after being diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme brain tumour.
According to Brain Tumour Research, the tumour is a diffuse midline glioma, which is particularly resistant to conventional treatment, with its location being so deep in the brain that doctors concluded surgery was not an option.
A staunch campaigner and fundraiser for Brain Tumour Research, nominated Amani Liaquat, as a baton-bearer because of the valued contribution she had made to the charity, including its #BrainTumourPetition and Stop the Devastation campaigns, which has been taken on by her younger sister.
As Amani died five days after learning about her nomination, her youngest sister Maleehah, a former pupil of Icknield High School is due to start her A-Levels at the Luton Sixth Form College in September, agreed to carry the baton in her place.
16-year-old Maleehah Liaquat said: “I was beyond proud when I found out Amani had been nominated as a baton bearer for the Commonwealth Games. Fortunately, we were able to share this good news with her before she passed away and, although she is no longer here to do this for herself, I feel honoured to be able to take part in remembrance of her”.
She added: “It’s been a big adjustment, spending every moment possible with my sister and caring for her constantly, to her no longer being by my side. I feel like it’s something I will never be able to process and accept.
“She is my biggest inspiration and not just to me but to so many people around the world who see her as a role model. She was the sweetest, kindest person I will ever meet and my heart breaks more and more every day knowing she had to leave this world in such a cruel way.
“Amani was so strong and she kept fighting even when there was no hope left for her. She fought for the sake of others and I think that’s something everyone can learn from.”
Maleehah will carry the baton 200 metres through the town’s Wardown Park setting off at 5.12 pm on 8 July. It is a place that holds a lot of childhood memories and is where her family held Luton’s first-ever Walk Of Hope, which raised more than £15,000 for Brain Tumour Research, in September last year.
Her mum, Yasmin, said: “It will be very emotional to watch our youngest daughter partake in such an honourable and historic moment, even more so knowing this was meant as an honour for Amani who is no longer with us.
“She hated this disease and how it descended so quickly and robbed her of her life, hopes and dreams. The thought of others going through this same illness would often upset her. She just couldn’t sit back and watch others suffer as she was, so she decided to speak up and try to make a difference.
Through her campaigning and fundraising work with Brain Tumour Research, as well as documenting her journey on her podcasts @Fight4Amani Instagram page and YouTube channel, she has left so many powerful legacies behind.
Yasmin also commented “Her physical appearance had changed greatly since her diagnosis so putting herself in the spotlight was both selfless and extremely brave. In a world where appearance seems to be everything, Amani brought a new narrative. She showed it is far more important what you do with the time you are given, however, limited that might be, rather than the appearance you show to the world”.
Amani is one of the thousands of baton-bearers, each with inspiring backgrounds and stories, to have been given the honour of carrying the baton during its 25-day 2,500-mile journey through England, which will culminate with the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony on 28 July.
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet historically just 1% of the national spending on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.
Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “Amani was a true inspiration and a brave ambassador for the brain cancer community. She was generous with her time, even when she knew she didn’t have long left, and extremely passionate about the cause.
“She is a worthy recipient of this honour and, although it is tragic she won’t be able to be there in person, we know that she will be there in spirit and would have been very proud of Maleehah.”
To find out more about Brain Tumour Research, visit www.braintumourresearch.org.
