Giant flamingo among Loch Lomond waterskiers for brain cancer father

A giant flamingo, Santa Claus and a group of elves have all been spotted on the cool waters of Loch Lomond recently.

The group gathered on New Year’s Day to support a colleague’s son-in-law who is battling a brain tumor.

Kenny Collins, 43, collapsed in September and an MRI scan later revealed he had a 3cm mass in his brain, near his brainstem.

The father of two had emergency surgery to drain excess fluid from his head and he later had surgery to remove the tumor.

However, due to the dangerous situation, not everything could be removed.

Kenny has since had a further eight surgeries and has spent his time in the intensive care unit and intensive care unit at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

To show their support, members of the water ski club, which includes Kenny’s father-in-law Campbell Cavana, ventured into the waters of Loch Lomond to raise money for the Brain Tumor Research charity.

Campbell said: “It’s such a shock how someone’s life can change so much so quickly.

“We hope that the money raised will help to find out what can stop brain tumors.”

Kenny, from Dumbarton, who has two children, Ella, 11, and Lewis, 6, with his wife Lynsey, collapsed on September 8.

His father-in-law added: “We were all so shocked when we found out. We expected Kenny to have surgery and repairs, but he had many complications.

“Kenny’s wound became infected, he developed meningitis and many other complications, which made his recovery very difficult.

“He had a total of 10 surgeries in his four months in hospital, spending most of his time between intensive care and high levels of addiction.

“Kenny had a shunt put in last week and it seems to be working.

“It’s been so hard for Lynsey so it’s good to finally have good news.”

Matthew Price, Community Development Manager at Brain Tumor Research, said: “We are so sorry to learn of Kenny’s diagnosis.

“We are truly grateful to Campbell and everyone who participated in costume waterskiing because it is only with the support of people like them that we can advance our brain cancer research and improve outcomes for patients like Kenny. who are forced to fight this terrible disease.’

READ MORE: Man with terminal brain cancer survives prognosis by two years and plans to run London marathon

READ MORE: What it’s like to live with a brain tumor for 15 years

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