North Berwick firefighter with brain tumour set to start specialist treatment after £20k raised in fundraiser

A primary school teacher and firefighter from North Berwick is set to start specialist treatment for an aggressive brain tumour after more than £20,000 was raised in his name.

James McPherson, a primary five teacher at Law Primary School and a firefighter with more than 22 years service, was recently told that he may only have a year and a half to live after being diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma.

The 46-year-old first noticed symptoms including severe migraine-like headaches, confusion, stumbling and memory lapses.

At one point, he began forgetting routes while responding to fire calls and struggling with simple maths in class.

After a private CT scan in Edinburgh, a tumour measuring 7cm by 4cm was discovered.

Doctors told James and his family, including children Jaime, 25, Cameron, 20, and six-year-old Harry, that without access to advanced treatment, life expectancy could be between 12 and 18 months.

A fundraiser to help cover consultations, travel and access to Optune therapy, a treatment not available on the NHS costing between £15,000 and £20,000 per month, as well as exploring potential clinical trials in London, was launched in his name.

More than £20,000 has been raised so far.

In a Facebook post, James confirmed that the money raised will allow him to start treatment “sooner than expected” after he met with specialists in London.

He said: “Through exhaustion and high emotions I’m struggling to put into words and convey my sincere heartfelt thanks, gratitude and love to every single one of you out there that has donated towards my treatment.

“The current total of over £16,000 in less than 24hrs is way beyond my expectations. Realistically, I didn’t know what to expect, maybe £500 – £1,000 if I was lucky with the family working to raise the rest.

“Your generosity has guaranteed that the treatment will start sooner than expected following a Zoom consultation with specialists in London this week.

“Please be assured that we are eternally in debt to you all and, although we started sending personal thanks to donators, the generosity has meant that I could not keep up with the personal thanks and responding to good wishes.

“Huge gratitude from me, my children below and their partners for helping get their Dad better and keep him alive.”

Organisers of the fundraiser described McPherson as someone who has “hugely and positively impacted” families in the community through his work as both a teacher and firefighter.

Glioblastoma is considered incurable, but supporters say extending survival time could allow access to emerging treatments in the future.

Organisers added that donations will help cover urgent medical expenses and associated costs, and that sharing the appeal would also provide support.

You can donate to James’ fundraiser here.