Chef who worked with Gordon Ramsay and cooked for the Beckhams backs Milton Keynes cancer charity

A renowned chef who has worked alongside Gordon Ramsay and Raymond Blanc is urging people to sign a petition calling for greater investment in research into brain tumours.

John Lawson has worked privately for high profile families like the Beckhams and appeared TV reality shows, including Chopped in America, which he won, and MasterChef Australia.

The 40-year-old, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2014, has also worked in restaurants around the world, including the prestigious Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Oxford, Daniel Boulud and Gordon Ramsay restaurants in New York, and No 8 by John Lawson in Melbourne.

He is now campaigning alongsideMilton Keynesbased charity Brain Tumour Research to improve research funding reach 100,000 signatures.

John first began began experiencing blackouts and dizziness and assumed headaches and blackouts he was getting were due to stress.

He said: “I remember being rushed to hospital where I was given the shock news I had an ‘abnormal growth’ in my brain. I assumed having a brain tumour meant I was going to die and wondered how long I had left to live.”

John, of Wickford, Essex, was eventually diagnosed with a grade 2 oligodendroglioma, but the biopsy he had caused him to suffer an uncommon form of stroke, causing brain damage and the loss of the left-hand side of his body.

他需要个月激烈的康复。但after regaining his strength, John underwent an craniotomy during which more than 90 per cent of his tumour was removed. He has been on a monitoring ‘watch and wait’ approach since and is thankful there were no signs of recurrence.

The charity wants to prompt a parliamentary debate – calling on theGovernmentto ring-fence £110 million of current and new funding to kick-start an increase in the national investment in brain tumour research to £35million a year by 2028.

It wants the Government to recognise brain tumour research as a critical priority and says the increase in research investment would put brain tumours in line with the spend on cancers of breast, bowel and lung, as well as leukaemia.

John added: “I’m a big advocate of the need for greater investment in brain tumour research. We need to bring the survival rates for brain tumour patients in line with that of other cancers, like breast cancer, which has received a much higher level of investment to get it to where it is today. I would urge everyone to sign this petition. It only takes a minute and could save the life of someone you love.”

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “John’s story is a stark reminder of the indiscriminate nature of brain tumours, which can affect anyone at any time.

“We’re really grateful to him for supporting our petition and for helping us to raise awareness.

“If everyone can spare just a few minutes to sign and share, we will soon hit the 100,000 signatures we need and help find a cure, bringing hope to families whose loved ones have been affected by brain tumours.”

Sign and share the petition before it closes at the end of October 2023here