A man who was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer and told he would be lucky to live for two weeks has welcomed his first child, 14 years later.
Jonathan Jones, 31, is currently on a gruelling schedule of chemotherapy, but says he is loving life with his partner Danielle and their six-month-old son JJ.
The Solihull, West Midlands man, was diagnosed in 2007 with a grade 3 oligodendroglioma, an incredibly aggressive brain tumour, on his left temporal lobe.
The discovery of the large tumour was made by University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust, following an eye examination.
An urgent MRI scan was ordered and Jonathan and his family were left heartbroken at the results.
If left untreated, Jonathan would not have survived more than two weeks.
Surgery was booked for the following day, where the whole tumour, the size of an orange, was removed from Jonathon’s brain by Professor Amjad Shad.
Following the surgery Professor Ian Brown, consultant oncologist at UHCW, prescribed Jonathan with chemotherapy and a six-week course of radiotherapy.
Jonathan has been on chemotherapy ever since, attending the Arden Centre at UHCW every six weeks.
Brain scans over the last 14 years have returned stable results.
Jonathan said: "The operation was very long and my family were in pieces as you can imagine.
"When the surgeon told my family that it was the best outcome possible, everyone was relieved.”
Following the surgery, Jonathan said he made good progress but his balance was seriously affected, which meant he was stuck in the hospital for some time in a wheelchair.
He described the care as “absolutely incredible” and has credited the team with saving his life.
"I had a great support network around me,” Jonathan added. “My family and friends were a great motivation for me to get better.”
Despite the difficult journey he has been on over the last 14 years, Jonathan has described his life as 'perfect' and has set up a business designing clothes to raise awareness of brain tumours.
Following his diagnosis, he had some of his sperm frozen in case his chances of having children were damaged by chemotherapy.
He and Danielle became first-time parents this year, when their son JJ was born.
Mr Jone said: "Despite the journey I’ve been on and having to go through more than 170 rounds of chemotherapy, I’ve never felt better.
"I feel as fit as a fiddle and am really enjoying life as a new dad."
"My life, albeit the chemo, is perfect,” he added. “I have a wonderful son, beautiful girlfriend and have set up a business designing clothes to help raise awareness of brain tumours, which also donates to the Brain Tumour Trust.
"My tumour was found very late and could have fatal consequences. I’m very lucky to still be here,” he added.
