The brother of a Leeds film student who died from an aggressive form of brain cancer is fundraising to screen his documentary posthumously and raise money to cover funeral costs.
David Izekor was 23 years old when he passed away on 12th November, and his brother, John Izekor, is trying to arrange a screening of his film One in Two, which details David’s journey through treatment for cancer.
David was 18 when he was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme in 2021, a rare form of brain cancer. He suffered a haemorrhagic stroke, which is when the rupture of a blood vessel causes bleeding in the brain, and needed emergency brain surgery, which led to doctors finding the cancer, the Mirror reports.
Glioblastoma multiforme typically carries a life expectancy of 12 to 18 months, but David survived for five years. In that time, he underwent two brain operations, both lasting 10 hours, and was taking a combination of medications. Remarkable perseverance and the filming of his documentary “kept him going” throughout treatment.
John says David was ‘the physical embodiment of what it means to persevere’
John, 22, grew up in a low-income household and, since the pair lost their mother in 2022, he hasn’t had family to support him through his brother’s death. However, after setting up a GoFundMe, people have donated over £9,000, which John said “has given me something to smile about in such dark times”.
David, who grew up in London, was a film student at the University of Leeds. He was just a few months into his first year when he suffered the stroke and received his diagnosis.
At the time, the brothers’ mum was in Italy to look after their grandad, who was dying from Covid-19. This meant John was alone when he received the news of David’s diagnosis.
For his final film project, David decided to produce his documentary One in Two, which reflected his journey as well as the journey of others living with the rare form of brain cancer. John said all that kept him going throughout treatment “was just that film”.
The production became a testament to the 23-year-old’s resilience, with David saying he never cried or complained, and instead poured his energy into creating.
David produced One in Two for his final year project at the University of Leeds
“David is the physical embodiment of what it means to persevere […] There’s a quote in the film of one of his doctors saying: ‘David did things David’s way’.”
Initially, John said David struggled with adjusting to life after his diagnosis. But once he “came to terms with everything…something changed in him”.
“He became very, very strong,” John added.
Despite numerous medications over the years of treatment, none were working successfully. In October 2025, the hospital informed David there was nothing more they could do for him, and it was time to stop chemotherapy and begin end-of-life care. The medical team transferred him to a hospice in Kent where he was “the youngest person there”.
His brother recalled the day David’s film premiered as “the best day of his life”. However, just two months prior, when the 23-year-old had been informed of his prognosis, John recalled it being “the worst day” of his life.
“Because we had so many plans, and he had so many plans,” John added.
Once on end-of-life care, David’s body began to deteriorate. He initially suffered from memory loss and fatigue, but eventually lost his vision and the ability to eat. “He basically just lost everything,” John explained.
The last four days of David’s life were spent unconscious, and John recalled the pair’s last conversation, which happened over the phone. He said: “I told him I was going to come and see him. I said: ‘Listen, I’m going to be there in two hours, OK?’ And he said to me: ‘John, I don’t think I’ll be here in two hours’.”
The University of Leeds, where John studied film
John rushed to the hospital and was at David’s side when he died. He wasn’t able to talk, but just before he passed away, his brother says he began humming: “He wasn’t talking, and they told me that he wouldn’t be speaking again, but before he passed away, he started humming, which is not what is supposed to happen…
“Miraculously, he started humming, he hummed four times. I grabbed his hand, and I told him that I’m there, and after his fourth hum, he took his last breath, and then he left us.”
As the pair grew up in a Christian household, a proper funeral service for his brother is important to John, as is celebrating his life through a screening of One in Two.
“He’s one of the wisest people you’d meet, and this fundraiser is really important for me to basically continue on his story, the way he wanted to live, when unfortunately he wasn’t able to do that,” John said.
The outpouring of support has transformed “the outcome” of David’s death, and his brother says he was the kind of individual “people can learn from”.
You can donate to David’s GoFundMe here.
