Margaret McCann took ill over Christmas and was diagnosed with grade four glioblastoma multiforme brain tumour on Boxing Day 2014.
Daughter Angela Kelly, 41, from Swinton, explained: “Mum had a seizure on Boxing Day and was taken to hospital where a scan revealed a large brain tumour which was not treatable.
“Up until then she had been very active, enjoying life and meeting up with friends at Pendlebury Social Club.
“She was put on very high doses of steroids to reduce the swelling in her brain.
“She was very poorly but we were able to go out and about for meals and spend time together as a family.”
Margaret sadly passed away in February.
She leaves behind 73-year-old husband John, four grandchildren aged 11, 14, 19 and 24 and two great-grandchildren aged one and seven.
Angela, who is the Business Manager at the Rochdale branch of Halifax, awanted to remember her mum with a fun fundraise, and got all of her staff involved in the Brain Tumour Research charity’s Wear A Hat Day on Friday 27 March.
Now 17 branches of the bank across the region have signed up for for the charity event in tribute to Margaret.
Wear A Hat Day is the culmination of national Brain Tumour Awareness Month and will see people from businesses, schools, universities, shops and offices, donning beanies and boaters, top hats and trilbies, fascinators and fedoras, and making donations to Brain Tumour Research. The charity funds a pioneering network of research Centres of Excellence across the UK.
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer but just 1% of the national spend on cancer research is allocated to this devastating disease.
Hugh Adams, Head of National Campaigns for Brain Tumour Research, said: “The fantastic support for Wear A Hat Day that we have received from nearly 20 branches of Halifax in the Greater Manchester area is really helping us to fund the fight against brain tumours and we are sincerely grateful to all of those involved. Hats off to every one of them!”
The charity is urging people to rally their organisations and contacts to get involved by wearing a hat and making a donation, buying specially-designed pin badges or a limited edition brooch.
Full details and registration for a fundraising pack, as well as quizzes and competitions are available from www.wearahatday.org or call 01296 733011. A donation of £5 can be made by texting the word HAT to 70660.
