John’s Story

Alison: “John was diagnosed with a grade 4 GBM, in July 2019. He has undergone a craniotomy as well as a course of chemo and radiotherapy. He will soon start more chemo to help prolong his life. We want to raise awareness of the lack of funds going to brain tumour research as it’s shockingly low”

John: “My nightmare began on July 3, 2019, a day I will never forget. I was getting ready for work when I had a seizure on the bathroom floor. My daughter found me and I was rushed by ambulance to New Cross Hospital where I was told there was a mass on my brain. I was transferred to the QE in Birmingham the very next day for numerous MRI scans, CT scans and a biopsy. 2 weeks later I was in surgery for 5 hours to remove the tumour having just been told at the age of 57, my condition was terminal. It came as a huge shock to myself and my family but what also shocked me was that less than two per cent of cancer research funding goes towards brain cancer.

I needed help to get to hospital appointments yet I didn’t want to be a burden. For the first time, I really just had to focus on myself and not on my family.”

Alison: “John had brain surgery and was given 5-ALA, the ‘pink drink’ which Tessa campaigned for. It highlights cancer tissue to make it easier for surgeons. John’s tumour was successfully removed but he had a heart attack whilst recovering in hospital and so stayed in for 3 weeks. He also had radiotherapy and 3 types of chemo. This brought side-effects such as loss of appetite, brain fog, fatigue, and pain in his head.

John has had to leave his job at Homeserve in Walsall and now spends his time with family and friends, although COVID meant he hasn’t been able to socialise much. He blogs about his experience of brain cancer to raise awareness so that one day there might be a cure.”

John: “We have seen, in a generation, a prognosis for breast cancer or leukaemia patients turned on its head from investment in research, but not for brain tumour patients. It’s clear that more needs to be done, to do better for people like me with this devastating disease”