"Team Hector" raises £15,000 with marathon effort

Mum and friends take on Manchester Marathon for centre that provided son's brain tumour treatment

A mum from the Isle of Man, alongside a group of her friends, has raised £15,000 in aid of a centre that provided treatment for her son's brain tumour.

Rebekah Dalrymple took on the Manchester Marathon on Sunday (19 April) in support of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, which delivered proton beam therapy for her child Hector after he was diagnosed with a rare craniopharyngioma at five years old.

In November 2024, Hector was air-ambulanced from the Isle of Man to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital; the tumour was 'tethered' to his pituitary gland.

Picture: Hector with his Christie-inspired poster to cheer on the Manchester Marathon runners - credit: Rebekah Dalrymple

You can find out more about his diagnosis, treatment and the 'red flags' which caught his mum's attention HERE. 

Manchester Marathon

Together as "Team Hector", Rebekah and her friends Emma Riley, Christina Fowkes, Susannah Charker, and Suzanne Gray had little running experience prior to training for the 26.2 mile event.

Rebekah says: "Obviously we all got a personal best because it was all of our first marathons!" 

She told Manx Radio she had to battle through pain and injury on the day, but would do it again:

One member of Team Hector, Ashlea Tracey, couldn't take part in the marathon due to injury, but she has been providing ongoing support towards the fundraising efforts.

You can find a link to Team Hector's JustGiving page HERE.