Billy’s team

We're raising as much as we can to beat cancer

Story

7 years ago mine and my families life got flipped upside down and changed forever. On the morning of 14th July 2019, my son’s 5th birthday of all days, I suffered a large seizure and was rushed to hospital. A CT scan revealed a large mass on my brain, the nature of which unknown, an MRI scan was required to give us a better understanding of what we were dealing with. The day of the results had arrived and unfortunately the results were not good. Nothing can ever prepare you for hearing the words “you have a brain tumour”, my days instantly felt numbered, and a dark cloud descended upon my life, in the form of cancer. I was referred to the Neurology department at Addenbrookes hospital in Cambridge and after discussions with the surgeon, it was decided that surgery was the best way forward, brain surgery, a truly terrifying prospect , but unfortunately, a necessary one. A few weeks later I was back at the hospital for the operation. Thankfully the operation was a success, however due to the location of the tumour, not all of it could be removed, around 20% was left behind. Tests were done on the removed tumour to determine the exact type of cancer I had, it was stage 2 Astrocytoma, malignant, and would require further treatment, this would be in the form of radiotherapy for 6 weeks followed by a year of chemotherapy. Treatment went well and luckily for me the scans post treatment were stable and the stable scans continued for 5 years, I had been lured into a false sense of security. In 2024 scans revealed that the disease had begun to rear its ugly head again. We knew this was always likely, but after 5 years, maybe naively, it was almost a shock and the start of the nightmare all over again. We tried to stop it in its tracks with chemotherapy but the tumour continued to grow, a second operation would be required. October 29th 2024, operation number 2, this time the surgeons had managed to get rid of all the disease, the sense of relief is impossible to explain, the fear of brain surgery and the resulting pain had all been worth while, I wasn’t cured but at least we had put the cancer on the back foot once again. Ultimately, this sense of relief and hope was not long lasting, as tests revealed that what was once stage 2 cancer, was now stage 4. This meant that despite the full removal of the tumour it was very likely to return and potentially quickly, so in attempt to prevent this I would require more chemotherapy to hopefully mop any cancerous cells left behind from the operation. Another year of treatment and stable scans followed until the start of 2026 when once again one of my regular scans picked up a very small change, a 2nd scan a couple of months later showed a further change, confirming our worst fears, it had returned. Thankfully the wonderful radiologists and doctors at Addenbrookes hospital had caught it very early and a small manageable size. The plan this time was not to operate or chemotherapy but to revisit radiotherapy, which I was eligible to have once again due to the amount of time that had passed since my first bout of treatment. I completed the 2 weeks of treatment not long ago, and that brings us to where we are now, waiting for another one of those dreaded scans, hoping and praying that the treatment has had the desired effect, trying to move the worry and dread to area of my mind that I can kick it away and forget about until the day comes when I must confront all my fears once again. Most days I have to remind myself that I am very lucky to still be here, fit and well, as many have not been as fortunate as I have been thus far, but still knowing this is a journey I am likely to continue on for the rest of my life, a constant yo-yo between the sadness of my predicament but also staying positive, hopeful and determined to not let this parasite inside me win and have its way.