An Edinburgh couple who lost their “theatre-loving” daughter to an aggressive brain tumor are staging a musical starring their friends to help raise money for research into the disease.
Jenny Hogg died of glioblastoma (GBM) in March 2014 at the age of 33. Despite surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, Jenny died two and a half years after diagnosis.
Her devastated parents, Rene, 67, and Alan Hogg, 69, have vowed to do whatever they can to help speed up treatment and find a cure. This weekend they are hosting Still Waiting in the Wings at the Chapel Hill Theater in Morningside to raise funds for the charity Brain Tumor Research.
Rene said: “Jenny should not have been treated like this, especially at such a young age. Too many young people are dying from this devastating disease yet it gets so little funding. We want to do all we can provide help.
“Musical theater is one of Jenny’s favorite things, so we are hosting a benefit concert, performed by theater friends from her days as a stage crew member in amateur theater companies such as Forth Children’s Theater and Blackout Productions.”
In August 2011, Jenny suffered severe headaches due to sinusitis and went to her GP, who prescribed antibiotics and steroids.
Rene said: “Jenny’s eye didn’t look right; we knew something was wrong. In December, Jenny went to Western General Hospital after hours because she had a metallic taste in her mouth. A scan showed the tumour.
“She had surgery; later, the surgeon said the tumor was like the root of a plant. He said he wasn’t sure he had removed everything and said if he had gone any deeper, Jenny would have suffered brain damage. “
In August 2013, the left side of Jenny’s face collapsed. In October, scans showed the tumor had grown and spread to the other side of her brain. She died at home on March 5, 2014, with her parents and brother David, 45, by her side.
Rene and Alan raised £42,000 for brain tumor research, £15,500 of which came from a show they staged at Chapel Hill Theater in October 2014.
Brain tumors kill more children and adults under 40 than any other cancer, yet only 1% of national cancer research spending has been on brain tumors since records began in 2002.
Rene said: “We hope these shows will earn us £50,000. Once we achieve that we will retire gracefully.”
Matthew Price, community development manager at the Brain Tumor Research Centre, said: “We are very grateful to Rene and Alan for hosting another show as it is only with the support of people like them that we can advance brain tumor research and improve the quality of life for people like Jenny This is a consequence for patients who are forced to battle this terrible disease.”
Brain Tumor Research funds research at specialized centers across the UK and calls on the government and larger cancer charities to invest more in research.
Still Waiting in The Wings will be held at Church Hill Theater on Friday 13th October at 7.30pm and Saturday 14th October at 2.30pm.