Dave’s story
Dave was a detective with Staffordshire Police and the headaches he had been suffering were put down to stress from his job.
Read Dave’s story
Dave Stubbs is passionate about raising awareness and funds to support others after his life changed dramatically following brain tumour surgery. He set up his Champion Fund along with his young son Elijah.
Dave is a dad of four, living with his wife, Rachel and young son Elijah. In the police force since 1997, he joined Staffordshire Police in 2003 and worked as a Detective dealing with serious and complex investigations. He had been suffering from headaches for several years, but this was put down to work-related stress due to the nature of his highly demanding job.
In June 2021, Dave tested positive for COVID, though at first he had no symptoms. However, two days in, he experienced what he could only describe as an ‘explosion in his head’ and pressure which felt like a vice. As these symptoms continued for several weeks Dave decided to contact his GP, concerned that he may have long Covid. By this point, he had also lost strength in his right arm, and so his GP sent him for an urgent CT scan.
It was at the end of July 2021 that Dave received the devastating news that he had a brain tumour. An emergency MRI scan showed the tumour to be the size of a satsuma, and surgery to remove it was essential.
Dave’s operation followed in September 2021. The biopsy showed that it was a low-grade meningioma, however not all of the tumour could be removed, and Dave is now working hard to adjust and adapt to the long-term impact that his diagnosis has had.
Dave, Rachel and Elijah
Although I look physically well and healthy the impact on my day-to-day life is massive and the issues are not always obvious to other people.
I have been told that it is likely my days of frontline policing are over, so I now have to manage what my day-to-day life and career will look like going forward.
You hear the phrase hidden disability banded around all the time and to be honest I never really understood it until now. I often will appear fine to people but it’s when I get back home and close the door that I struggle.
Staffordshire Police have been extremely supportive of myself and my family, and I have had a lot of help from Brain Tumour Support which fills a massive void which can’t be met by the NHS. The charity has also given me a new lease of life by fundraising for them.
As a Detective, my passion was keeping the public safe but since I’m unlikely to return to the frontline police I am directing that passion into raising awareness and fundraising for the charity.
A ticket raffle with three special prizes headed by a signed and framed Robbie Williams Poster from his 2022 homecoming tour. Prize draw on 13 May 2023
Winners were drawn on the night of the Brain Tumour Support Emerald Ball and the £880 raised through the raffle ticket sales enabled Dave and Elijah to pass their Champion Fund target!
Friday 28 April 2023 | St Thomas CE Primary Academy, Stoke-on-Trent
For National Superhero Day, Elijah’s school, St Thomas CE Primary Academy, came on board with a Superhero dress-up day, Elijah leading the way as Spiderman, and even the School Head getting on board. Elijah also set up his stall selling sweet cones and helping to raise awareness of Brain Tumour Support’s work.
A wonderful atmosphere and a fantastic £333.82 raised.
Monday 10 April 2023 | Port Vale FC
Dave secured the backing of Port Vale Football Club, who generously allowed Brain Tumour Support to benefit from their Easter Monday match against Oxford United with bucket collections, merchandise sales and an information stand.
The day raised fantastic awareness and almost £800.
Sunday 27 November 2022 | Stafford RUFC, Kick-off 2 pm
A special Charity Rugby Match with Newport Salop RUFC playing the Combined Services Barbarians at Stafford Rugby Club. Fantastic rugby and a great family event which included face painting for the children (or adults), a cake sale and a charity raffle/auction.
Steve Parker is Force Chaplain for Staffordshire Police, and on 3-5 August 2022, he took on a special challenge – a solo cycle ride along Route 72, Hadrian’s Wall Cycle Way.
His amazing coast-to-coast adventure raised more than £800.
A special charity rugby match was played at Stafford RUFC on Saturday, 2 July, in honour of Staffordshire firefighter Rob Watts, who lost his life to a brain tumour in April 2022.
In tribute, the Combined Services Barbarians faced a squad from Stafford RUFC to compete for The Rob Watts Memorial Bell, raising funds for The Fire Fighters Charity, Katherine House Hospice and Brain Tumour Support.
Dave and Rachel organised merchandise stalls and raffles at the Staffordshire Police Disability and Carers Network and the Police Federation Conference in May.
Together these events raised a wonderful amount of awareness as well as almost £700.
Elijah held a sale of specially packaged bags of sweets at his school.
His charity sweet stall sold out and raised an amazing £116.20!
In March 2022, for Brain Tumour Awareness Month, Dave, Rachel and Elijah raised funds to share between three brain tumour charities. Brain Tumour Support were proud to attend a cheque presentation with Chief Constable Chris Noble at Staffordshire Police HQ, receiving a cheque for £1,762.31 – funds were raised through cake and sweet sales, a raffle, and Rachel even shaved her hair for sponsorship!
PC Dave Stubbs of Staffordshire Police has been nominated for the Uniformed Hero Award at the Your Heroes Awards, celebrating the unsung heroes of communities across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire.
Speaking about his nomination, Dave said:
“If I can use my nomination as a platform to raise more awareness of this dreadful disease then that would be amazing.
Fundraising gives me something to concentrate on and continuing to raise awareness of brain tumours is important.”
Dave was a detective with Staffordshire Police and the headaches he had been suffering were put down to stress from his job.
Read Dave’s story
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