Lifeline

The emotional wellbeing of families facing childhood brain tumours can be as important
as medical treatment. LifeLine ensures no family faces this journey alone.

lifeline mental health support for families men and siblings. Image shows mother and father on a sofa with their son imbetween them laughing, whilst the dad fondly touches his hair

Why LifeLine matters

A childhood brain tumour diagnosis creates unprecedented stress for families. Research shows that parents of children with brain tumours experience higher rates of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. Siblings often face their own challenges, including feelings of confusion, jealousy, and neglect. LifeLine addresses these needs through timely intervention and ongoing support.

"My world changed forever when my son Oscar was diagnosed with a brain tumour. What followed was a period of immense challenge for our entire family, where we discovered first-hand the gaps in support that no family should have to navigate alone during such a difficult time. We found there wasn't enough support for Oscar, myself, my husband, our other boys and our wider family. This is one of the reasons why we set up OSCAR's Charity."
Marie
Founder of OSCAR's Charity

LifeLine: Tailored mental health support

LifeLine is our tailored mental health support service created especially for families facing the overwhelming challenges of a childhood brain tumour diagnosis. Having walked alongside many families through this journey, we understand the emotional rollercoaster, practical difficulties, and unique stresses that come with this life-changing situation.

LifeLine provides support, practical resources, and a connected community for families when they need it most. We understand that a childhood brain tumour diagnosis affects the entire family unit, creating ripple effects that impact parents, siblings, and extended family members.

"Where's the help and support for children and parents who are sent away from hospital and left to get on with it? As a family we would have been lost without the support of OSCAR's Charity."
Jo
York
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What we offer

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Specialised counselling services

Access to trained professionals who understand the unique challenges of childhood brain tumours

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Information resources

Reliable information about brain tumours, treatments, and coping strategies

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Family support groups

Regular meetings where families can share experiences and build supportive networks

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Crisis support

Immediate assistance for families experiencing acute distress

Who we support

LifeLine is here for anyone affected by a childhood brain tumour diagnosis, including:

Parents and guardians

Siblings and other children in the family

Extended family members

The young person with the diagnosis

"The mental healing when all the dust has settled is in a lot of ways harder to navigate than the actual surgery, because there is nowhere to turn."
Mum of boy aged 12
North Yorkshire

Get support

If you or someone you know could benefit from LifeLine services, please contact our team.

Support our work

LifeLine depends on generous donations and grants to continue providing vital services.
If you would like to contribute to our work, please visit our donations page or contact our fundraising team to discuss partnership opportunities.
Together, we can ensure families affected by childhood brain tumours receive the emotional support they deserve throughout their journey.
"Where's the help and support for children like this, other than charities like OSCAR's?"
Phil
Lincolnshire

We also have a partnership with Menfulness.
Read more about how we specifically support men here.

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Resources for Families

What You Need to Know

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Do you need any help or assistance?

Rachel James

Community Fundraising Assistant
Rachel will join our team on September 1st and will be doing a wide range of tasks including promoting the charity in the local community, developing relationships with different people and organisations, and finding new fundraising opportunities. She comes from a caring background having been a teaching assistant and emotional literacy support assistant in York for many years, and previously leading a community care team. She has also done many years of work in the voluntary sector.

Matthew Taylor

Trustee

Matthew Taylor is Director of the York Health Economics Consortium at the University of York. He has been a supporter of OSCAR’s since its inception and, through his twenty years of research into the measurement of health-related quality of life, Matthew is keenly aware of the huge benefits that new treatments can bring to people living with brain tumours.

Matthew is actively involved in national-level healthcare decision making, having had former roles as the Scientific Director of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)’s Economic and Methodological Unit and as a committee member for NICE’s Public Health Advisory Group. He has over fifty peer-reviewed scientific publications, including a chapter in the textbook ‘The Business, Policy and Economics of Neurosurgery’.

Ryan Mathew

Clinical Trustee

Ryan Mathew is an Associate Professor at the University of Leeds and an Honorary Consultant Neurosurgeon at Leeds Teaching Hospitals.

The Hughes Family story had a big impact on Ryan. He first learnt of the charity when he became surgeon to Oscar’s dad, Ian. After a successful surgery, he continued to show great care and concern for the family when Ian became ill again and when Milo, Oscar’s brother, was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Ryan is driven to make life outcomes better for brain tumour patients and their families. His extensive work in both research and surgery is testament to that commitment.

His clinical practice covers the full spectrum of general neurosurgery with a subspecialty in brain tumours. His research focuses on advanced brain tumour models, residual therapy-resistant glioma cell populations, local therapeutic treatments and surgical technologies and devices. He peer-reviews for several journals and grant award committees and has published numerous papers.

More information on Ryan’s work

Lisa Dawson

Trustee

Lisa has been a friend of the Hughes family since 2016 and was honoured to be asked in 2022 to represent OSCAR’s PBTC as Social & Digital Trustee.  Both Lisa and her family have taken part in numerous fundraising events and are dedicated to raising awareness of paediatric brain tumours.  Lisa is a social media content creator, blogger and writer and lives in York with her husband Joe and three children, Ella, Max and Leo.

Alice Beckwith

Trustee

Alice has been involved with OSCAR’s PBTC since 2020. She passionately supports the aims of the charity and believes that if the charity can change one life for the better, then it is a success. Working in the public sector for 18 years, Alice has helped transform Adult and Children’s Social Care Services by ensuring heavy investment in preventative services. This is why the impact OSCAR’s work will have on families is at the forefront of Alice’s motivation to be involved.

As partnerships trustee, Alice is keen to involve businesses, trusts and individuals in the work OSCAR’s does and show them the role they can have in providing the base for the charity to continue to expand its projects to help children with brain tumours.

Sarah Jane Gray

Trustee/Secretary

Sarah has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and surgical sales sector and is very familiar with the importance of medical advancements for better patient outcomes. She believes research is essential for improving diagnosis, treatment and prognosis for all children with brain tumours and hopes OSCAR’s PBTC can offer much needed funding to help push the boundaries in finding better ways of curing this devastating disease. Sarah’s focus as a treasurer will ensure record-keeping and accounts meet the conditions of the statutory bodies and compliance with regulatory organisations.

Holly Dixon

Trustee

Holly is mother to George, diagnosed with an ATRT brain tumour in 2022, and works as a primary school teacher. She believes that action to support others -however small- can make a massive difference.


She brings real-life experience of what it is like for a parent navigating everyday life, the NHS, the education system, questions from people and a lively young child with different needs.

meet the oscar's team

Sam Marino

Trustee

Marie Hughes

ChAIR OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Marie founded the charity with her husband Ian, who passed away in 2020. She is the mother of four boys. Two of Marie’s sons have died from different types of brain tumours – Oscar who was 9 and Milo who was 5 years old. She is determined to help find better treatments for brain tumours so other children won’t have to go through what her own sons and her family have.

Marie is Chair of the Board of Trustees, working closely withe the team on strategy and vision. Marie lives in Copenhagen with her two other sons, Sebastian and Lucas, and works as a Risk Manager on the Danish railway.