Ivor Hutchison was a well-respected schoolteacher and a cherished member of the Tayport community in north-east Fife, where he lived with his wife, Sylvia. In late 2017, Ivor began experiencing speech difficulties, which led to a devastating diagnosis of glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable brain tumour. Despite his previously active and healthy lifestyle, his condition deteriorated rapidly, and he died peacefully in May 2018 at the age of 76. He is survived by Sylvia, their four daughters, and many wonderful grandchildren.
Here is Ivor’s story, as told by his son-in-law, Scott Arthur, the MP for Edinburgh South West…
When I ask my son, Ben, what his strongest memory of his grandad is, he says it is being in his shed with him. Of course, it was more of a sun lounge-cum-workshop than a shed, but it was his space. When my daughter, Ruth, had a primary school project on Native Americans, her grandad made her a beautifully inscribed wooden tomahawk (Ben got a mini version) to take to school. A few years later, when Ben had a fascination with Chinook helicopters, his grandad crafted him a large wooden one, complete with folding rotor blades and a display stand.
This was the kind of man Ivor Hutchison is remembered as: a loving husband, father, and grandfather. This is the man I had known for over 35 years.
In September 2017, a speech problem set us on this sad journey.
My wife, Audrey, is a nurse, and she was concerned that an issue Ivor was having with his speech issue might be a sign of dementia. We all hoped this was not the case.
Following an MRI scan in November, we received the devastating news that Ivor had a glioblastoma, an incurable and untreatable brain tumour. With a normal prognosis of just 12 to 18 months, the tumour was growing aggressively in his brain.
At Christmas, he was still very much himself and enjoying the festivities, but it had also become clear that he was really struggling to get his words out. Once we entered the new year, he began to lose mobility, and eventually, he was admitted to the Adamson Hospital, Cupar.
While in hospital, it became harder to tell whether Ivor fully understood what was happening around him. However, Audrey and the family felt he did, based on the expressions he made when they spoke with him. Even then, we could not always be sure how much he comprehended.
At that point, we knew he would remain in hospital for end-of-life care.
He survived for some time after his diagnosis, but eventually, surrounded by his wife, Sylvia, and their four daughters, Ivor died peacefully in May 2018 at the age of 76.
This entire experience was all the more shocking because Ivor had always been such an active man. He played hockey, a highly physical sport, well into his 60s, much to the disapproval of his wife. He did not drink excessively and maintained a relatively healthy diet. I truly believe that if it were not for the brain tumour, he would still be here today. His eldest grandchild, Andrew, got married last year, and his first great-grandchild, Freya, was born too, two momentous occasions where his absence was deeply felt.
Now, in my capacity as an MP, I want to do more for this cause.
I had assumed that Ivor’s story was an unusual one until Siobhain McDonagh, sister of the formidable Margaret McDonagh, who played a key role in Labour’s 1997 and 2001 landslide victories, got in touch after I was drawn in the Private Members’ Bill ballot. She has been a tireless campaigner on this issue since glioblastoma took her sister. She explained to me that 95% of people diagnosed with this disease die within nine months and that treatments have not advanced in over two decades.
Since then, I have been working alongside the Department of Health and Social Care to explore ways to advance the Private Members’ Bill. We have been collaborating with charities such as Brain Tumour Research to identify the key steps needed to drive meaningful progress.
Our focus is now on three key areas:
- Identify a dedicated person or organisation to lead research into rare cancers.
- Make it easier for patients to connect with clinical trials (and vice versa).
- Review the orphan drug approach in Europe to see what lessons we can apply in the UK.
By creating an opt-out database of willing trial participants, we can remove one of the biggest barriers to launching new trials. These steps will help attract more research, accelerate treatment development and ultimately improve outcomes for those affected.
I am also very excited about the new Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence in Edinburgh.
With its focus on glioblastoma research, I am hopeful that we will see earlier breakthroughs in diagnosis and treatment, bringing much-needed hope to those affected. I look forward to visiting the Centre soon.
Scott Arthur MP
February 2025
One in three people in the UK knows someone affected by a brain tumour. This disease is indiscriminate; it can affect anyone at any age. What’s more, brain tumours continue to kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet, to date, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.
Brain Tumour Research is determined to change this.
If you have been touched by Ivor’s story, you may like to make a donation via www.braintumourresearch.org/donate or leave a gift in your will via www.braintumourresearch.org/legacy
Together we will find a cure.