AT first Mandy Calaz's husband thought he was suffering flu symptoms, then he was told he had sinusitis.

It was only when Mark collapsed at home that they were given the devastating news that he had a brain tumour.

Despite surgery to remove some of the tumour and a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, he died aged 52 in July 2021 - less than two years later.

Since then, Mandy, from Devizes, has been determined to raise funds and awareness for Brain Tumour Research through her fundraising group M&M Adventures.

And later this year she will make a virtual journey of nearly thousand miles in his memory.

This Is Wiltshire: Mark Calaz (left) died almost two years ago.Mark Calaz (left) died almost two years ago. (Image: Mandy Calaz)

“I miss Mark every minute of every hour of every day, but I promised him I would keep fighting and keep funding research so that other families don’t have to go through what we have," she said.

“We did our best to raise as much as we could when Mark was alive and well enough and it’s still ongoing for me.

“It’s like every other condition, you don’t hear about it until you’re personally affected by it and when you do hear about it you become aware that there is a lot more that can be done. I’m really passionate to do what I can.”

Mandy, whose fundraising journey started before Mark's death, is now planning to row the length of the Devizes to Westminster canoe race, 125 miles, on a rowing machine.

And she will pedal 874 miles on an exercise bike, the distance from Land’s End to John O’Groats. She is even tackling Brain Tumour Research’s 10,000 steps a day challenge in February.

While the aim of her year of physical challenges is to raise money for researching treatment for brain tumours, it will also give her an opportunity to focus on herself.

She added: “I decided that this year needs to be one where I focus on myself. About a year ago I signed up with a personal trainer because I wasn’t motivated to do anything.

“He advised me to set myself more challenges… I find it certainly helps to get out of the house and do something positive.”

Brain tumours kill more men under the age of 70 than prostate cancer but receive just one percent of the national spend on cancer research historically.

Brain Tumour Research has called for a national spend of £35 million to improve survival rates.