When football coach Darty Brown was diagnosed with a cancer so rare that only one in a million people will ever hear those words, an entire community in West London rallied around him.
From fundraising football matches to a pair of boxing gloves donated by Anthony Joshua, the ‘Darty Army’ of Ladbroke Grove refused to let him face it alone.
Memories of her ‘warrior’ friend, who died from cardiac angiosarcoma, will spur Saskia Moynihan when she runs the London Marathon. She will complete the 26-mile course in memory of Darty Brown and will be cheered on by his sister, L’Oreal Roberts, a nurse, who had cared for him at home.
In January 2021, Darty, from Ladbroke Grove in West London, started to complain of bad stomach pain. This was unusual as Darty, a football coach, was otherwise fit and well.
Two weeks later, he collapsed at home and was taken by an ambulance to hospital, where a scan found he had 1.5 litres of fluid in his chest. This turned out to be a pericardial effusion – an abnormal buildup of excess fluid in the sac surrounding the heart (pericardium). The fluid was drained and a CT scan found a shadow in his right atrium. This was assumed to be inflammation from the build-up of fluid. Darty was discharged.
Two weeks later, he again collapsed and was taken to hospital where tests were carried out. ‘It was a fight to get answers,’ said Saskia as concerns for Darty grew. L’Oreal, who worked at the same hospital, tried to find out what was wrong, even going through Darty’s notes with a consultant. There followed a ‘lot of back and forth’ but little transparency, said the family.
Finally, in March 2022, Darty received the shocking news that he had primary angio cardiac sarcoma, which affects one in a million people. The tumour was located on the right atrium of the heart, obstructing blood flow. Saskia said: ‘It was devastating for him. He was so active. He still went to the gym and stayed so positive. Instead of asking “why me?”, he said “why not me?”‘
Darty then had to contend with a new ordeal – the death of his fiancée Natasha from an unknown illness. Yet, said Saskia, ‘His spirit would not be broken. His motto was “it is what it is. I have to keep going!” and he did that until the end.’
Darty was transferred to the Royal Brompton Hospital where he had a sternotomy. A surgeon opened his chest to attempt the removal of the tumour. However, the operation was unsuccessful due to the placement and delayed diagnosis. By now, the tumour had grown from 2mm to 8mm. Darty started cycles of chemotherapy at University College London Hospital and radiotherapy. Fluid was still building up in his chest and needed to be drained.
The NHS only offered blanket treatments for his cancer – chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery – but these were not enough to treat his rare cancer.
Meanwhile, Darty and family researched clinical trials. He was told he wasn’t well enough for a trial in the UK. So, he looked abroad.
A ‘Darty Army’ was set up in the community of Ladbroke Grove and organised events to raise funds for treatment. He had been a semi-professional footballer, and his old football clubs got involved by staging fundraising matches. He was also a fan of Liverpool FC and the club donated signed artwork. Boxer Anthony Joshua donated a pair of gloves.
The fundraising events were made even more special by the many kind donations received, including a family membership to Virgin Active for a year, as well as contributions from brands such Trapstar, MP Power Electrics, AB Aesthetics, Daniel Galvin, and many more.
Saskia said: ‘After becoming aware of the seriousness of Darty’s condition, I knew something had to be done. I printed flyers and distributed them throughout the community, calling for a meeting at the Tabernacle in Notting Hill so we could come together and figure out how to help.’
The Tabernacle kindly provided the space and refreshments, creating a welcoming environment for everyone. It was in that room where ideas were shared and people united around a common purpose – Darty’s Army was born.
Darty went to Germany for a special type of self-funded immunotherapy that aims to use patients’ own immune systems to battle cancers by analysing what specifically is feeding their cancer.
Cruelly, not long before he died, Darty was told that he might be able to have a clinical trial in the UK after all, but by then he wasn’t well enough to take part. The family were left wondering what might have been. Darty died aged 47 in July 2024. He had a teenage daughter, Lola-Jean.
For Saskia, aged 46, this is her first marathon and L’Oreal, 43, will be there on 26 April to support her. Saskia: ‘I was a personal trainer for 15 years. I really need to do this as Darty was a semi-professional footballer and his dream was to run the marathon.
‘Darty fought like a warrior right up until his last breath. Two-and-a-half years of relentless surgeries, chemo and extensive, frustrating delays in diagnosis and treatment, due to the rarity of his cancer.’
Sarcoma UK’s Director of Research, Policy and Support, Dr Sorrel Bickley, said: ‘Darty’s story is heartbreaking, and it illustrates exactly the challenges we face with angiosarcoma. Darty sought out immunotherapy himself, in the hope that his immune system could fight the cancer, but like many angiosarcoma patients, it sadly didn’t work for him. That is precisely why the research we are funding at Imperial College London is so important. Dr Jun Ishihara is investigating why immunotherapy fails to work for so many angiosarcoma patients and is exploring new ways to essentially ‘switch on’ the immune system in tumours that currently don’t respond. At the same time, Dr Paul Huang at the Institute of Cancer Research is working to ensure that future patients receive more targeted, personalised treatment – identifying who is most likely to benefit from specific drugs, and even exploring whether a simple blood test could one day be used to monitor how a patient is responding to treatment, removing the need for invasive biopsies. Darty’s story strengthens our determination to find better answers for patients and families facing this devastating diagnosis.’
To donate to Saskia, go to Saskia Moynihan is fundraising for Sarcoma UK
