Football-mad brain cancer patient on ‘perfect day’ at Wembley Stadium | British News
A terminally ill brain cancer patient described his joy at having a “perfect day” as he watched Luton Town rise to the Premier League.
Adam Dilley was just weeks away from becoming a father for the first time when he was diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM) in October 2021 – an extremely aggressive form of brain cancer with a devastatingly short prognosis of 12 to 18 months.
The 32-year-old, from The Wixams, Bedfordshire, underwent a craniotomy followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
He is currently stable and is being monitored with regular MRI scans.
Adam, a brain cancer research activist, and his brother Graeme Dilley are both longtime Luton Town fans and already had tickets to Saturday’s Championship play-off final.
But there was more good news.
The brothers were invited to a VIP pre-match tour of Wembley Stadium by the club in association with the English Football League (EFL).
Adam, who works at GKN Aerospace in Luton, said: “I was nervous at first but coming to the stadium and doing the Tour was unrealistic.”
“It was a really good experience, mostly because we knew our team was going to play and the result just made it a perfect day.” It was something I never thought I’d see, and apart from my parents, I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with anyone but Graeme.’
“Up the Hatters, we’re in the Premier League,” Adam added proudly.
The brothers had the opportunity to go into Wembley’s famous Royal Box, the presentation area where the trophy was then lifted, into the dugout, through the tunnel, into the media area where they do interviews and towards the sidelines embark
They also snapped photos with the trophy beforehand and met former Luton player Olly Lee and pundits from ITV and Sky Sports.
Adam’s brother Graeme, a procurement manager from Enfield, north London, said: “Arrangements were made for Adam, I was just there but it was great to have the chance to do it together and make memories.” We are Luton Town fans all our lives and have been going to games since the mid 1990’s.
“We had season tickets when the club got into non-league football and we didn’t think we’d see the day when we got into the Premier League. So it was great to be there.”
“It was an agonizing game, mostly because it went to penalties, but we cried tears of joy at the end.” It will be a very special feeling to be involved in Premier League games next season, but it will be difficult to top events of the last weekend.
“I cannot thank Kim Pearce at Luton Town and Michelle Robbins and Lucy Gordon at the EFL enough for everything they have done.”
After being relegated in 1992, the Hatters reached the top flight for the first time in 31 years in Saturday’s game, beating Coventry City 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
You can support Graeme’s fundraiser for his brother and others with brain tumors at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Graeme-Dilley.
What is brain tumor research?
Brain Tumor Research funds sustained research at dedicated centers in the UK.
She also advocates for the government and larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumors to accelerate new treatments for patients and ultimately find a cure.
The charity is the driving force behind calls for a nationwide £35million annual donation to improve survival rates and patient outcomes compared to other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.
To learn more about brain tumor research, visit www.braintumourresearch.org.
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