Bill’s story
Bill Quaile’s family and friends remember him as a ‘bon viveur’, a huge character who lived life to the full. Known as Bunter, he enjoyed skiing, rugby, cricket, walking, food, friends and wine – often with a chuckle!
So his loved ones were floored when Bill was diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma in June 2023.
Bill and Helen shared a love of skiing and met when he was running a chalet in Chamonix.
His wife, Helen, remembers the shock of that moment: “We had had a busy May which included Bill travelling to Toulouse to watch the rugby for a friend’s 60th, so it was no surprise that he was tired.
“The following week he said he was feeling below par, and that he’d made a phone appointment with his GP. I noticed that he really wasn’t on form. He wasn’t concentrating and he said he had a tingling in his hands and feet.”
When Bill said he couldn’t feel his right-hand side, Helen took him to the A&E nearest to their home in Kentisbury, North Devon. There, they booked him in for a scan, suspecting that he had had a stroke.
But Helen remembers the shock of his actual diagnosis: “They kept him in overnight and the next day, the consultant just came out with it and said, ‘he’s got a brain tumour.’
Bill was moved to a different ward and when an acute oncology nurse came to see us I knew then it was serious. She said: ‘We think it’s a glioblastoma.’ That was the first we’d heard of it.”
She added: “Bill didn’t really take it in and refused to discuss exactly what it was – an aggressive malignant tumour. He was in denial, which I understand.”
A three-hour round trip for treatment
Bill was diagnosed at the beginning of June and told that the location of the tumour meant it was inoperable. A biopsy at the end of June confirmed the initial diagnosis and a programme of concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy, with additional cycles of chemotherapy was proposed. In August 2023, he started this treatment with three weeks of daily visits to Exeter – a trip of up to 90 minutes each way.
“Over the next seven months Bill fought hard at every turn,“ Helen continues. “In his mind, he wanted to get better and at least walk with a frame again, but he knew it was incurable.
“One of our most treasured memories is taking him to one of the games at the Rugby World Cup in Marseilles in September. I borrowed a wheelchair and got us to Toulouse where we met up with family and friends before travelling to Marseilles and meeting a wider group.
“The whole thing made us realise how kind people are. For example, at Bristol Airport, we were in the queue for people with accessibility needs. One of the security team was stern and officious when people tried to cut in to the line, but he was gentle and kindness itself when he turned to us.”
Asked if she’d had support herself, Helen said: “It was such a whirlwind that I didn’t make time for myself. It just wasn’t possible. You just have to get on with it and deal with the next challenge. Nobody prepares you in life for that.”
Bill was a very private person, and he didn’t want people to see him not being himself. It was a pride and dignity thing. He loved sport of all kinds, and when he couldn’t walk the dog or be that fun, jolly person, it was difficult. The disease robbed him of who he was, completely.
Helen
‘Doing some good’
Bill sadly died in January 2024. As she grieved, one of the things that helped Helen was taking part in The Twilight Walk with four friends. Helen said they felt they were doing some good raising money.
Then she heard about the 55-mile London to Brighton bike ride. As Helen and Bill had done a similar ride in 2013, she and some friends thought it would be a fitting thing to do in his memory to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity.
Team Bunter was born! It consisted of Helen’s brother-in-law, Richard, his sister Hari, her son, Mihir; Francis who Bill played rugby with; Andrew, a friend from Brighton; and, James, a friend’s son.
Helen said: “It was a bit of a panic really. Only two of us were avid cyclists. The rest of us are active but not necessarily on our bikes. Could we do it? Well, I was defeated by Ditchling Beacon at the 45-mile point. But I got back on my bike in time for the photos near the top. And the faster cyclists were already in the queue for ice creams when we finally got there!”
The team raised more than £6,000.
Helen said: “It’s woeful how little advance there has been in treatment for brain tumours. That’s why we fundraise. It’s why I’ve urged my local MP to support The Rare Cancers Bill.
“I’m doing the L2B again this year because I realise I was in a really fortunate position financially. I could work half time, and my employer was supportive. I could dip into our savings and buy Bill a walker with wheels to use instead of a frame. But I know an awful lot of people don’t have that luxury and have to bear the awful cost of cancer in more ways than one.”
Inspired by Team Bunter?
Good luck to everyone taking part in the London to Brighton bike ride this year! And if reading this has inspired you to take part in an event, you need some training tips or fancy organising your own skydive, challenge or trek, we’re here to help you every step of the way!