A 21-year-old artist from Bedford has died from an incurable brain tumour just four weeks after receiving a diagnosis for a suspected ear infection.
Tyler Morton died from a glioblastoma in March 2026, leaving his 19-year-old sister, Ella Morton, to campaign for increased national investment into cancer research.
Glioblastoma is an aggressive type of brain cancer with no known cure, and treatments have not improved in more than 20 years.
Every year, around 3,200 people in the UK receive a glioblastoma diagnosis, with only one third surviving beyond a year and just 4% surviving for five years or more.
Ella, a mechanic, is now working with the charity Brain Tumour Research during Glioblastoma Awareness Week (13-19 July).
The charity is campaigning to increase the national annual investment in brain tumour research to £35 million, while fundraising to establish seven sustainable Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence across the UK.
“We were inseparable”
Ella said: “Tyler was an amazing older brother. He was funny and kind – the sort of brother I went to for anything.
“We both lived with our nan, and we were inseparable. I was distraught that nothing could be done for him.
“I knew you could get cancer everywhere in the body, but I didn’t realise how badly it affects you if it’s in the brain. There are very limited treatment options compared to other cancers.
“I was so angry and upset that we hadn’t found out he had a brain tumour sooner. I definitely think a lot more could have been done for him.
“We were told Tyler couldn’t have any treatment because his body wouldn’t have been able to handle it. Everything happened so quickly, and he deteriorated so fast.
“If they had found it sooner, he probably would have had the chance to have chemotherapy. At least that would have felt like we tried.
“More Government funding for research is vital if we are to find a cure for brain tumours.
“What happened to Tyler was such a traumatising experience, and I don’t want anyone else to go through that.”
In January, Tyler experienced an earache that caused numbness on the left side of his face.
He also lost his balance and experienced difficulty walking, leading to a hospital visit where medical staff diagnosed him with an ear infection.
Antibiotics had no effect, and Tyler subsequently began vomiting and lost function across the entire left side of his body.
Ella Morton said: “Tyler had a CT scan, but it didn’t show anything untoward. He was told he had vertigo and was given anti-sickness medication, but it didn’t help at all.
“I took him back to the hospital; when we arrived, he had two seizures. He was physically disabled by this point and could barely talk.
“Five days later, Tyler had a CT scan which revealed a lesion on his brain. A week later, Tyler had a follow-up scan at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
“The following day he had a biopsy; a week later, we were told Tyler had a grade 4 glioblastoma.
“Three weeks earlier, he was walking and talking, and now he couldn’t do anything himself. He was just a body at that point.
“Tyler was discharged from hospital to basically pass away at home.”
May Your Way
Five weeks after her brother died on 25 March, Ella took on the 200k in May Your Way challenge, raising more than £1,300 for the charity.
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer type.
However, historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002.
Scientists funded by the charity are working to uncover new knowledge about the disease at research facilities, including the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at Queen Mary University of London.
The team there has developed a platform to compare glioblastoma stem cells and healthy brain stem cells from the same patient to help develop personalised treatments.
The director of research and policy at Brain Tumour Research, Dr Karen Noble, said: “Tyler’s story reflects the devastating reality faced by so many families across the UK.
“We are calling on the Government to increase the national investment in research into brain tumours, including glioblastoma.
“We need to also see an increase in the number of clinical trials, and access to them, in the UK, and we want to end inequalities in access to whole genome sequencing that could inform access to trials and emerging treatments.”
The charity is the driving force behind calls for a national annual spend of £35 million to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.
Bedfordians looking for more information or wishing to donate to the Glioblastoma Awareness Week Appeal can visit braintumourresearch.org/glioblastoma-awareness-week.
