North Staffordshire mates are rallying around Michael Jepson

Michael Jepson is fighting for his life after being diagnosed with a stage-four brain tumour(Image: Lisa Jepson)

A family have issued a desperate appeal to get a North Staffordshire-born man life-saving treatment. Michael Jepson was diagnosed with stage-four brain cancer in March 2025.

The 55-year-old was born in Mow Cop and moved to the Scottish Highlands in 1996. But Michael’s quiet life was turned upside down after he began experiencing subtle memory loss.

Wife Lisa Jepson told StokeonTrentLive: “In January last year, Michael started to behave differently. Just in small ways that only I would notice. After 20 years of never going to the doctor, I managed to convince him to pop in. All they could find wrong was that his blood pressure was a bit high. They asked us to keep an eye on it and that was that.

“During that time, his behavioural symptoms got worse. He was experiencing mild headaches, mood changes and memory problems. I called the paramedics after he woke up one morning and asked me if I thought there was something wrong with his brain. He was checked out but they couldn’t find anything wrong again.

“We made a GP appointment but before he could go, he woke up feeling extremely tired and confused. He wouldn’t eat as he was convinced he’d just eaten – even though he hadn’t eaten in several days. Then he was violently sick. He was rushed to hospital where they found a large massing wrapping around his right temporal lobe. They sent him off for emergency surgery.

“They removed this cyst and found a tumour behind it. Michael recovered really well from the surgery and felt much better. But we were told two weeks later that his tumour was cancerous.”

Michael Jepson is fighting for his life after being diagnosed with a stage-four brain tumour(Image: Lisa Jepson)

Michael was diagnosed with a stage-four terminal glioblastoma. The tumour is unmethylated, meaning it can resist chemotherapy by repairing its own warped DNA.

Doctors placed Michael on palliative chemotherapy which managed to temporarily stabilise the tumour. But a scan in December 2025 revealed it began to grow again – leading Michael to go back under the knife.

Lisa explained: “The surgeons deemed it inoperable as it was too close to major blood vessels. I wanted a second opinion so we went to a private surgeon in London. She said she could operate no problem. Everyone banded together and got the money for his surgery raised in eight days. It was amazing. He recovered so well, you couldn’t even tell what he’d been through.”

Now, through perseverance and experimental treatment, it appears Michael may be able to overcome the deadly disease once and for all.

Lisa said: “But now he’s had another MRI scan which confirmed traces of the tumour are still there. We’ve been told that he can have second-line chemotherapy. But we already know that probably won’t work because of the chemo-resistant tumour he has.

“So we’re looking at taking Michael to Germany where they can give him a special vaccine made with his tumour markers. It effectively means his antibodies can fight the tumour without much impact on his life. But it means we’re going to need some more fundraising support to make it happen.”

Michael Jepson is fighting for his life after being diagnosed with a stage-four brain tumour(Image: Lisa Jepson)

The experimental treatment will cost the family around £20,000 – without factoring in travel expenses. But Lisa says they have received an overwhelming amount of support.

She added: “The boys from Mow Cop are doing the Killer Mile to try to raise the money for his treatment. And a woman called Claire Jepson, who does the Mow Cop scarecrow trail, says she’ll pledge half of this year’s proceeds to Michael’s treatment.

“Up here we’ve been doing raffles, quiz nights and other bits in the community to help out. And a charity called Heather’s Heroes have kindly pledged £2,500. They say that when we reach a certain fundraising goal, they’ll pledge another £2,500.

“Michael and I have been so grateful for all the support we’ve received. It’s heartwarming and amazing. It’s hard to put into words. Without people’s help, he never would have afforded his surgery. Now we’re hoping we can make this last push.”

You can support Michael and his family by visiting the Mow Lad’s JustGiving page, here.

Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search

Get daily headlines and breaking news emailed to you – it’s FREE