Newhaven family’s last Christmas as 23-year-old dad’s brain tumour treatment stopped

A young Newhaven dad is facing his last Christmas with his family after being told treatment for his brain tumour is being stopped as chemotherapy is not working.
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Morgan Sandalls, 23, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumour in November last year after he started having seizures.

The type of tumour has an average survival prognosis of 12 to 15 months and the biggest cancer killer of adults under the age of 40.

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Morgan, who was a gas and heating engineer, had surgery on December 14, last year, and then underwent gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Newhaven dad Morgan Sandalls is facing his last Christmas with his family. Picture: Brain Tumour ResearchNewhaven dad Morgan Sandalls is facing his last Christmas with his family. Picture: Brain Tumour Research
Newhaven dad Morgan Sandalls is facing his last Christmas with his family. Picture: Brain Tumour Research

But now, a year on, he has tragically been told the tumour has grown and he has just weeks to live.

“I started on a different type of chemotherapy treatment but have now been told this has failed to stop the tumour’s progression,” said Morgan.

“Without Elisha I would have given up ages ago, but being with her and Riley gave me something to fight for.”

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Elisha, 21, said: “It’s been a terrible year with the coronavirus pandemic on top of everything.

Baby Riley with Morgan. Picture: Brain Tumour ResearchBaby Riley with Morgan. Picture: Brain Tumour Research
Baby Riley with Morgan. Picture: Brain Tumour Research

“Sometimes I find it so hard just to get out of bed but, despite everything, we are trying to stay positive.

“We want to make this Christmas really special and have decorated our flat as a Christmas grotto.

“Although it’s very hard to accept, we know that this is almost certainly Morgan’s last Christmas and the last Riley will ever have with his dad.”

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The couple, who have a two-year-old son called Riley, are working with the charity Brain Tumour Research to raise awareness by sharing their story and are also fundraising to help find a cure.

Elisha, Riley and Morgan. Picture: Brain Tumour ResearchElisha, Riley and Morgan. Picture: Brain Tumour Research
Elisha, Riley and Morgan. Picture: Brain Tumour Research

They took part in a ten-mile Santa Dash earlier this month – Morgan on a mobility scooter – to raise funds for research to find a cure.

They walked ten miles from Denton, where Elisha grew up, to The Old Boot public house in Seaford, where she and Morgan went on their first date and back again.

Their fundraising to date stands at more than £450.

Morgan and Elisha became friends when they attended Grays Nursery on Southdown Road, Newhaven, together. They ‘instantly clicked’ when they got together as teenagers, the pair said.

Morgan hugging his son, Riley. 

Picture: Brain Tumour ResearchMorgan hugging his son, Riley. 

Picture: Brain Tumour Research
Morgan hugging his son, Riley. Picture: Brain Tumour Research
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Before Morgan became ill, he and Elisha loved to go out in his sporty Ford Fiesta, listen to Craig David, drink caramel frappés and sit on the beach.

Elisha said: “Morgan and Riley share the same birthday and have a very special bond. I couldn’t ask for a better dad for Riley. We always dreamed of having four children together, but it seems it’s not to be. Cruelly, I lost a baby in October last year.”

The couple are hoping against the odds to fulfil their dream to get married next year.

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “Morgan and Elisha’s story is so desperately sad. We are really grateful to them for taking on a Santa Dash to help find a cure when they have so much on their plate. We’re sure they will inspire lots of people to donate.”

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Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and the larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure.

The charity is calling for a national annual spend of £35million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia and is also campaigning for greater repurposing of drugs.

To donate, visit www.braintumourresearch.org/donation quoting Morgan & Elisha Sandalls as your inspiration.

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