A man who was given just a year to live after first going to A&E with headaches is about to watch his son start school three years on.
Paul Nicholson, was told he had a brain tumour the “size of a fist” after going to Brighton A&E suffering with headaches The Mirror reports.
Originally doctors thought he was suffering with anxiety or depression and he was prescribed anti-depressants but things continued to get worse.
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Paul said: “He prescribed me anti-depressants for a few months and I carried on, but things just got worse.
“My wife Charlotte also thought I was getting snappier, but I was feeling really down about stress at work.”
Eventually one of Paul’s colleague’s got really concerned about his wellbeing and took him to A&E were scans revealed the extent of the illness.
He had emergency surgery the next day to remove as much of the tumour as possible.
Talking about the surgery Paul said: “I woke up in intensive care and couldn’t remember going to the hospital. I thought I’d been in a car crash or something, it was very confusing.”
The tumour was glioblastoma, an aggressive form of cancer that can occur in the brain or spinal cord. He was given just a year to live.
With a six-month-old baby, Teddy, to look after, Paul and Charlotte were devastated by the news, but stayed as hopeful as possible while Paul went through chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
After going through the treatment MRI scans revealed the tumour had started to grow again.
Paul was referred to The Royal Marsden by a consultant to see if he would be eligible for clinical trials. He was called up two weeks after his original scan for a trial for the drug lisavanbulin but was told there was only a 5% success rate.
Paul said: “It was great. I didn’t really have anything else to cling onto by that point. I was just looking to give anything a try.”
As part of the trial, Paul had to take five tablets every morning and had monthly scans to assess the results.
Within months the tumour began to shrink and now three years later Paul’s cancer has shrunk by a huge 90%.
He said: “It showed signs of reduction quite quickly. We realised it was chipping away at it every month, even if it was one or two per cent. Every so often I get a really good reduction.
“It really is incredible. I was unlucky to get cancer in the first place, but I’ve been so lucky to find a trial that works for me through The Royal Marsden.
“Against all odds I’m looking forward to seeing Teddy start school in the Autumn.
“I appreciate everything The Royal Marsden has done. The nurses and doctors have been so supportive and made it a welcoming process from Day 1.
"I always felt welcomed and looked after.”
