Tanguy and Maxence’s story

In late June 2020, Maxence became unwell whilst playing in the park with his friends. He became confused and drowsy, and his consciousness decreased further. A few minutes later he was looked after by an ambulance team and was taken to Chelsea & Westminster Hospital. An initial scan showed a bleed on his brain and the decision was made to take him to Great Ormond Street Hospital 0for further analysis. The brain tumour was found and the Chemotherapy started after a few seizures, a few days of coma and fight.

At this stage, his parents were full of worry but quickly understood that Maxence was under the best hand of all the doctors, nurses, and the services at GOSH. 

The envy of raising funds to support the medical team and most precisely the Brain Tumour Charity came very quickly. With everything happening so suddenly the different people involved with Maxence recommended his parents not to rush on this and take the time to look after Max.

It was in July that Max’s dad raised the idea of joining the London-Brighton cycle. He briefly mentioned it to one his childhood friend based in France who quickly said that he was in! Together the better was the motive for them and Tanguy booked 12 places for the London-Brighton knowing that few of his colleagues, and friends from the wine trade would join them in the adventure. In less than 5 days the “peloton” was formed! All the 12 riders had a different experience on the bike and the 55 miles including the hill of the Ditchling Beacon didn’t scare anyone. A few months of training were enough for all of them to get ready for the day. The aim was not to ride the 55 miles the quickest but to ride them to support the Brain Charity Tumour and direct medical support for Max. (To read about Max Story #55milesforMax)

With the 12 riders they created a great momentum around the charity and raised awareness about kids’ brain tumours and the work of The Brain Tumour Charity. It was effortless and it has brought among them a great friendship. Within their friends and their industry, and after different posts on social media, Tanguy and the team were asked by so many other people how they could contribute and could they join the event next year. Tanguy mentioned that he could almost get a team at least twice or three times bigger next year! As of today more than 180 people have donated.

Tanguy would encourage anyone who fancies a ride to take the challenge and create a team for the day! There are many ways to bring awareness about The Brain Tumour Charity but the London-Brighton was an excellent way to put many efforts together! There are no limits to sharing awareness!

Today, Max has a break during his treatment and awaits his next MRI scan to see how the tumour has developed. Full of hope, his parents believe in the different researchers monitored by Dr Darren Agrave and his team of oncologists.

At the same time, Max will have to change from his actual mainstream school. Due to his situation, he needs to be looked after within a smaller group to encourage him to learn, develop new skills and apprehend the whole world.

We thank The Brain Tumour Charity team and we would recommend it to anyone who needs support and guidance in their fight with brain tumours!