We’re doing it for Darty

By Neil Harvey

WHEN top 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 this mornming, cheered on by Darty’s sister, L’Oreal Roberts, a nurse, who had cared for him at home.

In January 2021, Darty, a coach at Yeading and Maidenhead United among others, started to complain of bad stomach pain.

Two weeks later, he collapsed at home and was rushed 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 build-up 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 and Darty was discharged.

Two weeks later, he again collapsed where further tests were carried out. “It was a fight to get answers,” said Saskia as concerns for Darty grew. Sister 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 the sudden 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.

FRIENDS TO THE END: Darty and Saskia

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. His former clubs got involved by staging fundraising matches. He was also a fan of Liverpool FC and the club donated signed artwork. Heavyweight boxing champ Anthony Joshua donated a pair of gloves.

The fundraising events were made even more special by the many kind donations received.

“I knew something had to be done,” Saskia said. “I called for a meeting at the Tabernacle in Notting Hill so we could come together and figure out how to help.” It was here where ‘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. Darty died aged 47 in July 2024. He had a teenage daughter, Lola-Jean.

For Saskia, 46, this is her first marathon and L’Oreal, 43, will be there to support her. “I was a personal trainer for 15 years,” Saskia said. “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. It will be a proud day.”