31st August: Honouring Joseph’s Life, Celebrating His Legacy

How Joseph’s Story Changed the Future of Brain Tumour Survival

On this day, 31st August, we always stop and think about Joseph. It was on this date in 2007 that he lost his fight with a brain tumour. He was only nine years old – funny, bright, talented, and loved beyond measure.

When Joseph was first diagnosed back in 2000, the odds were brutal. The five-year survival rate for paediatric brain tumours was just 10%. Funding into research was almost non-existent – around £500,000 a year across the whole of the UK. Families were left with no hope, no answers, and no way forward.

Joseph’s parents, Andy (now Chairman of Joseph Mews) and Jude, refused to accept that. Out of heartbreak came the Joseph Foote Trust, set up to change the future for other children who would face the same devastating words. Over time that trust grew into Brain Tumour UK, and eventually into The Brain Tumour Charity – now the largest brain tumour charity in the world, raising over £14 million a year. With match funding, more than £40 million goes into global research every single year.

And here’s the part that matters most: Today, the survival rate stands at 75.6%.

From 10% to 75.6% in less than two decades. That’s not just numbers on a page – that’s children alive today. Families still whole. Futures being lived.

All because one little boy’s life sparked something bigger than any of us could have imagined.

A few words from Andy Foote, Chairman of Joseph Mews

“Joseph is with us every day. He’s the reason this journey began, and his name is stitched into everything we do. To know that the survival rate has risen from 10% to over 75% gives us some comfort – his short life created something that continues to save others. At Joseph Mews, we’ll always try to honour his name and the love that started it all.”

So today, on 31st August, we remember Joseph. We think about the boy he was, and the thousands of children who now have a future because of him.

If you’d like to carry his legacy forward, please consider helping the research that is saving lives every day: Donate Now