A KILRUSH woman is preparing to run the 2027 London Marathon in memory of her dad, who died from a glioblastoma brain tumour in 2022, just seven months after his diagnosis.
Fiona Tevlin-Pillar is raising funds for Brain Tumour Research, a cause with a deeply personal significance for her family.
Her uncle also died from a brain tumour, 16 years before her dad. Fiona said one of the reasons she is determined to raise money for research is that, despite the 16 years between the two diagnoses, there had been no change in the treatment they received.
Her dad, Mick, was a lighthouse keeper and died just five weeks after Fiona’s wedding.
Describing the motivation behind her London Marathon challenge, Fiona said: “My dad, Mick Tevlin, was a lighthouse keeper and genuinely the best man I’ve ever known.
He died from a glioblastoma brain tumour just seven months after he was diagnosed, five weeks after my wedding.
My uncle died from the same tumour. Nothing changed in the treatment from my uncle’s diagnosis to my dad’s, sixteen years apart.”
Fiona will take on the 26.2-mile London Marathon in April 2027 in her dad’s memory while raising funds to support brain tumour research.
As part of her fundraising, Fiona has launched an online charity auction featuring prizes donated by businesses and supporters in West Clare, across Ireland and further afield.
The auction closes this Sunday, October 11, and Fiona is encouraging people to take a final look, place a bid and share the auction before it ends.
There has been particularly strong support from businesses in West Clare.
Prizes include a four-ball at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Doonbeg, a private session for up to 15 people at Ritual Floating Sauna in Kilrush Marina, a voucher for Oileán Bar & Restaurant in Kilrush, a RUA Food selection box and Sunday lunch for four at Aileen’s Restaurant at the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point.
Further afield, bidders can choose from hotel stays and accommodation in Ireland, London and Vienna, including Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa, Fanad Lighthouse, Clayton Hotel Burlington Road, NYX Hotel London Holborn and the Renaissance Vienna Schönbrunn Hotel.
The wider auction also features golf, dining, wellness and sporting experiences, vineyard tours, family days out and other prizes donated by supporters in Ireland and the UK.
Fiona has thanked everyone who has helped her campaign so far, particularly the businesses and individuals who have donated prizes and those who have bid, donated or shared her fundraiser.
For Fiona, the campaign is about much more than reaching the London Marathon finish line.
It is an opportunity to remember her dad and help fund research so that other families facing a glioblastoma diagnosis might have greater hope for the future.
“Every bid, big or small, will help support the fight against brain tumours and bring us closer to finding a cure. I would be so grateful if people could take a look, place a bid and share the auction with their friends and family.”
The online auction closes on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
View the auction and place a bid: Fiona’s London Marathon 2027 Charity Auction
Important note for Irish bidders: use BT1 1AA as a valid UK postcode when bidding. Fiona will contact successful Irish bidders if they win.
Donate to Fiona’s fundraising: Fiona’s JustGiving page
