Prem Bedi, 66, passed away just three months after he was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive and common type of brain tumour. His family organised Bollywood4Charity to raise money for the national charity Brain Tumour Research.
The event took place at South & City College, Birmingham, on Saturday 4th June, and featured music from the 50s, 60s, and 70s and was inspired by the hit Hindi song Jane Kaha Gaye Wo Din. It raised a total of £10,000, enough to fund three days of research.
Prem, who trained as an engineering tool maker before joining the family garage business in the West Midlands, leaves a wife Shashi, two sons Vishal and Rajesh and four grandchildren.
Vishal, MD of Fort Dunlop-based Click Software Ltd, said: “My parents were among the first to have a live Asian band to play at their wedding 40 years ago. Dad loved to sing and our event was be a great way to remember him. We were overwhelmed by the response and hope to do something similar again in the future.
“Dad was a gentle man who was dedicated to looking after his family and we are distraught to have lost him. He was physically fit and healthy, still working and had a good lifestyle. He was due to retire and spend more time concentrating on himself and his grandchildren. The rock of our family, he always put everyone else first. Life has been cruel taking him at this time and in this way. It is shocking to think that brain tumours can affect anyone at any age and appalling to learn that brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer … yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.”
Prem first became ill in January 2015, with stomach problems and his family noticed changes in his personality. Despite several visits to the doctor, it was not until August that he had a brain scan which revealed the tumour which was cancerous and inoperable. His devastated family were told that, without treatment, he would die in as little as two weeks although treatment could extend his life by up to 15 months. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy started but Prem reacted badly and was readmitted to hospital. He passed away on 17th December last year.
His widow said: “Prem’s first love was music, it was his life and passion. He would beat out rhythms on the kitchen table and we would sing old numbers together. I miss him so very much and am so, so lost without him.”
Donations can still be made via JustGiving https://www.justgiving.com/bollywood4charity.
Brain Tumour Research funds a network of Research Centres of Excellence at universities in Portsmouth and Plymouth and at Queen Mary University of London. Work at its fourth centre, Imperial College, is focused on GBM, the type of tumour which Prem had. The research is led by Professor Silvia Marino, a leading brain tumour scientist and neuropathologist, who said: “Glioblastomas are a malignant, aggressive type of brain tumour and tragically one of the most common. With Brain Tumour Research’s help we are investigating how the tumours develop, which is key to advancing their treatment. This is a major initiative in an underfunded research area in the UK.”
