Maxwell Alexander Grey Thompson’s story – written by his fiancée Leanne

Max was an extremely fit, healthy 31-year-old with a real zest and passion for life when he was rushed into hospital complaining of a headache, dizziness, and a tingling sensation down the left-hand side of his face. No one could have predicted the results of the CT scan, especially because he was diving in Malta with me just 3 weeks before.

At first, the doctors thought Max had suffered from a burst brain aneurysm and he was blue lighted to St George’s hospital in Tooting, where he underwent emergency surgery to release the pressure from the bleed. The surgery went well but a significant amount of damage had been caused due to the severity of the bleed. It was then a gruelling two-week wait whilst we waited for Max to show signs of improvement.

After two weeks of little improvement and the results of an MRI scan which showed the bleed wasn’t caused by an aneurysm but in fact a 5cmx8cm brain tumour, we (me, Max’s mother Catherine, close cousin Sue and brother Adrian) had to make the heart-breaking decision to turn off life support. It was clear that Max wasn’t going to regain consciousness at this point, and it wouldn’t have been fair to put his body through the stress any longer.

Anyone who knew Max would agree that stubbornness and determination were front and centre of his character. He was a true fighter and due to the excellent health of his heart, he passed away two days after the life support decision was made, on 9/11 – a date his friends and family feel he would have taken satisfaction from, as it is a such a significant date in history which will never be forgotten.

Everyone who had the privilege of meeting Max would concur that his love of life was greater than that of anyone else they know. He loved the finer things and commented that the food eaten the night the above photo was taken was the best he had ever tasted. He was also involved in the running of two businesses; a very successful luxury skincare and beauty brand with his close cousin Sue, and a country music event which he grew to be the largest in the UK. I am of the belief that life is measured by depth and not length; the length of Max’s life may have been far too short but the depth of it was greater than most people who live to the age of 100.

Max was one of the greatest showmen, an entrepreneur, the glue to every friendship circle, a loving and loyal fiancé, son, brother, grandson, cousin, uncle and nephew, and we are all keen for his legacy to live on through fundraising. It is for this reason we have partnered with the Brain Tumour Research Campaign (BTRC). We will be working with the charity to fund a fellowship in his name, which we hope will help in preventing others from suffering from this tragic illness in the future.

For more information on fundraising events, please follow the hashtag #BeMoreMax on social media.

You can donate via the Justgiving page opened in memory of Max: http://www.justgiving.com/Catherine-Thompson61