Remembering Rob Howells

In memory of Rob Howells, my wonderful husband and daddy to our three children, who sadly died on 12 July 2025 following a courageous 12-month battle with brain cancer.

On 22 June 2024 our world was turned upside-down when Rob had a seizure whilst watching our children play tennis. Rob had been suffering from occasional forgetfulness and a reduced ability to focus, but nothing seemed too out of the ordinary given he had been under a lot of pressure at work.

After a long wait in A&E, we received the terrible news. Rob had a brain tumour and would need to be transferred to Salford Royal Hospital for an MRI scan and further investigations. The MRI revealed the tumour was a grade 4 glioblastoma, which is incurable and comes with a very poor prognosis.

We were lucky that a specialist team were able to complete a grueling 7 hour ‘awake’ brain surgery on 3 July 2024 and felt elated that the operation was successful with a large proportion of the tumour being removed. Rob and I were married in Salford Royal Hospital the day before the operation, something he insisted upon doing due to the risks involved.

After the surgery Rob recovered very quickly and family life seemed to click back into full swing. Rob was no longer able to work or drive but he was otherwise remarkably well and enjoyed spending much more time with me and our three children. We went everywhere as a family, including a trip to Center Parcs.

After a period of time to recover from the operation, Rob then had to endure 6 weeks of daily radiotherapy in addition to oral chemotherapy. Rob undertook this challenge with a level of positivity that lifted us all. From the moment we found out about the tumour he never looked back. He was always ready for the challenge ahead and was prepared to give it his absolute best.

The radiotherapy began to take its toll in October 2024 with Rob suffering from occasional seizures and issues with balance. The tumour however appeared stable and we remained encouraged that it had not yet started to regrow (an inevitable result with grade 4 glioblastomas). In November we were delighted to be able to hold a wedding celebration, sharing an incredibly special day with friends and family at Chester Zoo.

Sadly, despite all the positivity and fight that Rob gave, his symptoms continued to worsen and with no remaining treatment options we simply had to take the best care of him as possible whilst his mobility, speech and awareness became ever more compromised.

Rob was transferred to East Cheshire Hospice on 25 June 2025, where he sadly died peacefully on Saturday 12 July. The care and compassion that Rob (plus me, the children and all of Rob’s family and friends) received at the hospice was unprecedented. We felt privileged to end Rob’s journey in such a wonderful place, full of so much love and support.

To remember our wonderful husband, daddy, son, brother, friend and colleague, our focus now is to raise funds for both East Cheshire Hospice and The Brain Tumour Charity.

The need for funding to help find a cure for this indiscriminate cancer is critical. Brain tumours kill more children and young adults than any other cancer and yet the investment in brain tumour research still represents just 1% of the national spend on cancer research. The Brain Tumour Charity is the world’s leading brain tumour charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally.

East Cheshire Hospice, who provided exceptional end of life care for Rob, rely heavily on donations. The care they provide is second to none and comes at a time when people need it most. Only 20% of the annual running costs are funded and so to continue to provide this care free of charge, the hospice needs to raise a whopping average of £9,362 every single day of the year.

Thank you for reading this tribute to Rob’s cancer journey and for contributing to our fundraising efforts.

We will miss him forever and remember him always.
Helen, Jessica, Benjamin and William xxx