David Cavana took to the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond in the eye-catching costume (Picture: Brain Tumour Research)
A giant flamingo, Santa and a group of elves were all recently spotted on the chilly waters of Loch Lomond.
The group had gathered on New Year’s Day to support a colleague’s son-in-law as he battles a brain tumour.
Kenny Collins, 43, collapsed in September, with an MRI scan later revealing he had a 3cm mass on his brain, close to his brain stem.
The dad-of-two had an emergency operation to drain excess fluid from his head and he later had surgery to remove the tumour.
However, not all of it could be removed due to its dangerous location.
Kenny has since had a further eight operations and has spent his time in the intensive care and high dependency units at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
To show their support, members of the water ski club, which includes Kenny’s father-in-law Campbell Cavana on its committee, braved the Loch Lomond waters to raise money for the charity Brain Tumour Research.
Campbell said: ‘It’s such a shock how someone’s life can change so much so quickly.
Brain tumour sufferer Kenny Collins with his wife Lynsey (Picture: Brain Tumour Research)
‘We hope the money we raise will help to find out what can stop brain tumours.’
Kenny, of Dumbarton, who has two children Ella, 11, and Lewis, six, with wife Lynsey, collapsed on September 8.
His father-in-law added: ‘We were all so shocked when we found out. We expected Kenny to have an operation and get fixed, but he had a lot of complications.
‘Kenny’s wound became infected, he developed meningitis and many further complications thereafter, which has made his recovery very difficult.
A waterskier dressed as Santa takes to water to support Kenny (Picture: Brain Tumour Research)
‘He has had a total of ten operations in his four months in hospital, spending most of his time between intensive care and high dependency.
‘Kenny had a shunt fitted last week and it seems to be working.
‘It has been so hard for Lynsey, so it’s good to finally have some good news.’
Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: ‘We are so sorry to learn about Kenny’s diagnosis.
A brave Loch Lomond water skier in a traditional Scottish kilt (Picture: Brain Tumour Research)
‘We are really grateful to Campbell and everyone who took part in the fancy dress water ski, as it’s only with the support of people like them that we’re able to progress our research into brain tumours and improve the outcome for patients like Kenny, who are forced to fight this awful disease.’
READ MORE: What it feels like… to live with a brain tumour for 15 years
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Kenny Collins, 43, collapsed in September, with an MRI scan later revealing he had a 3cm mass on his brain.Â
