The Gilly Factor
When Gillian Lee went to the doctor on Thursday 10th December 2015 with what she thought was an ear infection, she never expected the day to end as it did: her husband hurrying back from a business trip in Germany, three of her children rushing home, the fourth organising a flight back from his year abroad in America, and a devastating brain tumour diagnosis turning her life completely upside down.
Gilly’s story is one of strength, courage and love. The strength and resilience of showing up for tests, operations and harsh treatment. The courage to face her diagnosis head on and make the most of each day. The unconditional love of her family and friends who were there each step of the way.
In the years after her diagnosis and surgery, Gilly made sure to live each moment. She visited Venice with her husband Christian for their 30th wedding anniversary, dived with whale sharks in Mexico, took a van trip across Europe, fundraised for The Brain Tumour Charity, and wrote a book about her brain tumour diagnosis.
“Several people I know have stopped putting off doing something they really wanted to do, or stopped putting off not going to somewhere they really wanted to go to. They said it was because of me and they call it: The Gilly Factor.”
The Other Days by Gillian Lee
Gilly passed away peacefully on 9th December 2019, with her family by her side. In her own words from her book ‘The Other Days’, “the gift I have been given is the chance to enjoy living with everything that cancer brings with it.”
Finding the silver linings
A year after her diagnosis, Gilly and her family held a charity fundraising event Carol4aCure. It was important to her to support research into brain tumours, as it was and sadly continues to be, “the most left behind, least researched, of all cancers.” The Other Days by Gillian Lee
Ten years on from her diagnosis, a gift of £50,000 has been made to The Brain Tumour Charity in her name towards Dr Emily Bates’ research on ‘smart viruses’.
Dr Bates, one of our incredible Future Leaders Fellows working out of Cardiff University, explains how her work is aiming to create kinder, safer, more effective treatments.
Our research uses ‘smart viruses’ that are designed to selectively target tumour cells while leaving healthy brain tissue unharmed. These viruses are modified so they can only act within cancer cells, allowing them to act as precise delivery vehicles rather than causing infection...
Dr Emily Bates
The Charity has been instrumental in making this progress possible – not only through vital funding, but also by providing a platform to collaborate with an outstanding network of researchers dedicated to improving outcomes for people affected by brain tumours.
The Brain Tumour Charity’s Future Leaders Fellowship has helped the team advance their work by using smart viruses as a “Trojan horse” to carry genetic instructions into tumour cells. These produce powerful immunotherapies from inside the cells and re-awaken the body’s natural defence systems, which cancers such as glioblastoma often suppress or evade, preventing immune cells from recognising the tumour as a threat.
Dr Bates’ research has the potential to make treatments more aggressive against the tumour, yet safer for patients, by reducing harmful side effects. Her team’s work focuses on glioblastoma (GBM), one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat forms of brain cancer. Using the ‘smart viruses’, they are able to develop new therapeutic approaches. The ultimate goal is to translate this research into a clinical trial, bringing new treatment options closer to patients.
The Other Days
Charlie Brown: Some day we will all die, Snoopy.
― Charles M. Schulz
Snoopy: True, but on all the other days, we will not.
Gilly lived her life with joy, unconditional love and immense kindness. The generosity of this recent gift in her memory is testament to that. Her family and friends are excited about the prospect that immunotherapy can help others that are diagnosed with GBM and are so pleased that this gift will be funding Dr Bates’ work. They hope that this gift and Gilly’s legacy will provide hope to others and options for those in the future diagnosed with brain tumours.
Immunotherapy works with your body and immune system, whereas in the past, treatments only seemed to work against your immune system, so these are great steps forward.
Christian Lee, Gilly’s husband
The Brain Tumour Charity is so grateful for this gift in Gilly’s name. Funding research and looking for kinder, safer treatments is the only way to improve the future of brain tumour care. If you want to learn more about Dr Bates’ research, or how to donate to The Brain Tumour Charity, follow the links below.
To learn more about Dr Emily Bates’ research
To learn more about philanthropy at The Brain Tumour Charity
If you are affected by Gilly’s story and would like to seek support