A CARING sister and a band fundraisers are campaigning to raise thousands of pounds for her brother who has an inoperable brain tumour.

Grant Bird has been diagnosed as having an inoperable astrocytoma grade three tumour.

The 20-year-old’s sister, Hayley, said the family’s nightmare began last April when her brother was walking down St Osyth Road, Clacton, on his own.

“He was walking past the Black Bull pub and some guy came out and starting giving him abuse,” said the 22-year-old.

“My brother didn’t want a confrontation and said ‘leave me alone’.”

After about ten minutes, the man walked off, but as Grant walked further down the road a car pulled up beside him and a passenger got out.

“The only thing he can remember is being hit on the head with a hammer,” she said.

“He had blood all over his face. It had just missed his eye.

“My brother called his friend and his friend’s mum came and collected him and took him to mine. We called an ambulance and the police.”

Miss Bird said Grant, who works as a roofer, had a big piece of bone missing from his temple, which the paramedics glued back together.

No one has been charged with the attack.

Although they cannot prove there is a link, the family say Grant’s leg started to go, it would kick out to the side when he tried to walk, by the end of May. He also started to get migraines and sickness.

After several trips to a doctor, the family took Grant for private treatment and an emergency CT scan showed there was a lot of swelling on his brain.

Grant had a four-hour operation and the results showed he had a tumour.

Hayley continued: “He came home and said ‘I am not going to whinge about it, I am fine. I’m not going to sit around and let it beat me’.

“He was fine, absolutely fine but everyone was in shock.”

Grant endured six weeks’ of intensive radiotherapy, lost his hair and needed 24-hour care.

His mum, Tanya, left her job as a medical secretary at Colchester General Hospital to care for her son and Hayley took time off to help.

“He has an adult’s brain in a baby’s body,” said Hayley. “He cannot move his arms or talk. He can mime things.”

Now the family needs to raise about £20,000 to help Grant’s rehabilitation and send him to a neuro rehabilitation centre for intensive physio.

“The NHS has been fantastic,” said Hayley.

“He has just come out of the St Helena Hospice for respite for two weeks, but the NHS has limited resources.

“Me and my mum cannot do it, that’s why we need to fund raise.”