Charity milestone for parents fundraising in memory of son who died from brain cancer

A SURREY charity launched in memory of a brave little boy has celebrated a big milestone.

- By LAUREN COLE-LOMAS

Billy Thompson, from Bookham, battled a rare brain cancer that tragically predominantly affects children. He died in 2024, aged four.

Parents Ellie and Jamie Thompson launched Billy's Battalion to raise awareness and funds for clinical trials - and it recently became a registered charity.

DIPG, or diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, is a rare and aggressive tumour that forms in the brain stem.

Due to its location and diffuse spread in a vital part of the brain that controls essential functions like breathing, tumours are inoperable.

It is estimated that one child is diagnosed with a DIPG every nine days in the UK, according to DIPG charity Amy's Army.

Speaking about the days after Billy received his diagnosis, Ellie said: "I remember thinking: I have to have some hope. I refuse to believe the rest of our lives will be hell. It's really tough, but there's still hope.