WIFE'S SAD HAS HUSBAND AND SON ARE DIAGNOSED WITH BRAIN TUMOURS

A mum-of-two was left devastated when her pilot husband and their seven-year-old son were both diagnosed with brain tumours just weeks apart.

Lucy and Pete Gebruers were heartbroken when doctors told them the bombshell news about seven-year-old Joshua in January.

The brave schoolboy was diagnosed with Arteriovenous Malformation after going for a routine eye test at Specsavers.

The rare condition is caused by an abnormal tangle of blood vessels in the brain which puts sufferers at a very high risk of suffering a stroke.

Just eight weeks later Pete, 42, suffered a seizure at the wheel after collecting his son and daughter Amelia from school.

He was admitted to hospital where doctors discovered the cancerous brain tumour - and said he had no more than two years left to live.

Brave Joshua and Pete are now undergoing radiotherapy in the same hospital, while the former pilot is also having chemotherapy.

Distraught Lucy is having to work three jobs to keep a roof over her family’s heads after her husband lost his job on medical grounds.

The 38-year-old, from Solihull, West Mids, said: “When Joshua was diagnosed I thought my world had fallen apart.

“Then four or five days before Joshua was due to have his radiotherapy in April, Pete had his seizure in the car.

“The diagnosis doesn’t carry a very good life expectancy. It’s tragic. I had to leave Pete in intensive care to take Joshua to his treatment.

“My daughter Amelia was struggling as she had seen the seizure. I just wanted to cut myself in three to be with all of them.

“It probably sounds crazy but it could be so much worse. We’re generally positive people, we call ourselves Team G (for Gebruers).

“I do have my dark times, but you have to seize the moment, make the most of life and that’s what we intend to do.

“As soon as you start wallowing in self-pity, that’s when you start to deteriorate. Particularly in Pete’s case, that’s the beginning of the end.”

Lucy’s situation became even more worrying when Pete’s employers said he could no longer fly planes because of his condition.

Because they cancelled their critical illness insurance cover a few years ago, she now has to hold down three jobs.

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing,” she said. “Financially, we’re struggling now.

“I have three jobs. I run the office for a company and do the admin for its sister company. And in the evenings I waitress.

“I am exhausted but you have to do what you have to do. If I can keep us in this house by doing three jobs, I’ll do three jobs. If I have to do four, I have to do four.”

Pete, who has been married to Lucy for five years, said they had been devastated when Joshua was diagnosed with his tumour.

“We took them for a routine eye test and one of the opticians noticed that the back of Joshua’s eyes were swollen which is a symptom of the condition,” he said.

“Apparently it’s only the fourth time it has been diagnosed in this way ever in the world.

“We took him straight to the eye clinic and he was transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital and diagnosed a few weeks later.

“I have learnt an awful lot from Lucy about being positive. She is incredible, she keeps all of our spirits high.

“We just want to make the most of the time we have left together as a family.”

The family’s eight-year-old daughter Amelia has organised an auction and raffle at her school to raise money for brain tumour charities.

As part of her fundraising, the brave schoolgirl wrote a handwritten note to local businesses appealing for help.

It read: “Since Christmas both my little brother and my daddy have been diagnosed with a brain tumour.

“We found out about Joshy when we went for an eye test and my daddy had a seizure while he was driving us in the car. It was very scary.

“I wanted to do something good to cancel out the sad times we’re having.”

Since the heartwarming appeal, Amelia has been inundated with donations as well as prizes for her auction including flying lessons and weekends away.

She is now set to smash her original target of £3,000 which will be shared between The Brain Tumour Charity, The Butterfly AVM Charity and Birmingham Children’s Hospital.