County Leader’s Sad Bedside Pledge to Daughter in Hospice

Published on: 8 Jul, 2019
Updated on: 11 Jul, 2019

Emily Oliver – Photo Tim Oliver.

By Rebecca Curley

local democracy reporter

He is leader of Surrey County Council trying to improve the lives of more than one million people. But Cllr Tim Oliver is also a loving father fulfilling a promise to his youngest child.

Over the past few weeks, when Cllr Oliver is not in the council chamber, he has been devoting his time to his 21-year-old daughter Emily, who is having end-of-life care at the Princess Alice Hospice in Esher.

And he has promised to do all he can to help raise awareness of her legacy, her mission, to fund more research into finding treatment and cures for the rare brain tumour she has.

In January 2018, Emily was diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain tumour, a rare and aggressive type with little-known treatment.

She set out to raise funds for The Brain Tumour Charity to provide hope and help, and on her 21st birthday in October last year launched a campaign, Emily Oliver’s Fighting Fund, now built up to £28,000.

Tim Oliver – Photo Prudential RideLondon

Cllr Oliver, who is entered in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 sportive cycling event on Sunday, August 4, with son James, 25, to raise money and awareness of the campaign, said as a family they are doing all they can to promote the need for vital research.

He said: “As a parent, to lose a child is one of the worst things that can happen. We just want to try to help. If we can stop one family going through what we have gone through it will be amazing.”

After a full day working on council business, the Conservative leader and member for Weybridge is spending the evenings at his daughter’s bedside with his wife, Debbie, and two other children James and Charlotte, 26.

Since the diagnosis, Emily and the family have consulted medics in America and Germany for trial treatment, taking advice from the family of Dame Tessa Jowell who died in May last year from brain cancer.

But nothing worked and Emily entered the hospice eight weeks ago.

Cllr Oliver said: “All the way through this illness she has fought hard. We tried to get her home, but the hospice thinks she is better looked after in that environment.”

Before Easter, he spoke to Emily about the cycle ride and promised her he would do all he could to raise awareness of her campaign for more research into brain tumours.

He said: “Her level of awareness is very limited but we talk to her a lot. She was aware I was going to do the cycle ride this year and this is what she wanted us to do, to raise the profile.”

Cllr Oliver added: “People ask why I still do the council thing, but it’s because I genuinely want to try to make a difference and help, particularly for the most vulnerable and young in our society. I have first-hand experience.

“This type of cancer is the biggest killer of under-40s for any form of cancer. It’s massive.”

Cllr Oliver was in last year’s cycle ride, raising funds for Shooting Star children’s hospice where bosses have recently spoken about the struggles they face funding all the care needed.

“Hospices are massively underfunded and rely on charitable donations,” he said. “I’m determined to try to get proper funding for them from the Government. The care Emily is receiving is unbelievable. But it’s funded by charity.”

For more information about the campaign and to donate to Emily Oliver’s Fighting Fund visit https://www.thebraintumourcharity.org/get-involved/our-supporter-groups/supporter-groups/groups/emily-olivers-fighting-fund/