Car crash leads to diagnosis of brain tumour

An aggressive brain tumour was discovered in a Shropshire man after he suffered a seizure while driving and was involved in a car accident. The discovery led to a devastating diagnosis for former Shifnal engineer Chris Blakemore, who died 17 months later.

Chris was involved in a crash on 6 September 2016, suffering a seizure while driving home from work. He veered around a traffic island and collided with a parked lorry. He walked away with minor injuries but paramedics urged him to seek medical attention.

An MRI scan at Princess Royal Hospital in Telford revealed a tumour on his brain. Days later, he was diagnosed with a glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer, at Stoke Hospital. Chris was just a month away from retiring in October 2016.

His daughter, Carrie Stokes, has since raised over £9,321 for research into brain tumours by hosting a charity ball in his memory.

Carrie said: “Dad was the centre of our family, strong, kind, and always there when we needed him. Watching him fade because of this cruel disease was the hardest thing I’ve experienced.”

Chris underwent surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, but the tumour progressed rapidly. His health deteriorated in late 2017, and he died at home in March 2018 at the age of 64.

Carrie, an accountant at Spotlight Accounting, rallied friends, colleagues, and family for the charity ball in March 2025.

She said: “My mum, Jill, and dad were childhood sweethearts and together for 48 years. We want his legacy to be one that brings hope to other families and shines a light on the urgent need for kinder, more effective treatments.”

Letty Greenfield, Community Development Manager at Brain Tumour Research, commented: “Chris’s story is heartbreakingly familiar, limited treatment options, and lives cut tragically short. We are so grateful to Carrie for her incredible fundraising efforts and powerful advocacy.”

Around 12,000 people are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour each year. Just 1% of the national spend on cancer research is allocated to brain tumour studies.

Carrie added: “It’s heartbreaking that so many patients like Dad don’t have access to potentially life-extending treatments. We desperately need the UK to catch up. We need change, and we need it now.”