A gym-loving teenager hit with headaches when lifting weights was told to get his eyes tested before scans revealed an inoperable tumour latched to his brain.
Rob Bichan, 17, from Moray, Scotland was sent for eye tests after telling doctors of the headaches in January last year.
Tests confirmed his eyes weren't the problem and doctors sent the health-conscious lad for an MRI.
Scans revealed an aggressive tumour on his brainstem, an area doctors said they couldn't operate on.
Rob said: ‘The first sign that something was wrong was in October 2019, when I started getting headaches when I was lifting heavy weights in the gym.
‘In December 2019, I went to see my GP. He didn’t seem too concerned but suggested I got my eyes tested, which I did and the conclusion was that my eyesight was fine.
‘On 27 January 2020, I was told I had an aggressive grade 4 brain tumour called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), carrying with it an extremely poor prognosis.
‘The tumour was on my brainstem and was therefore inoperable.’
Fortunately, further testing revealed the tumour was less deadly than initially suspected.
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But, shortly after his diagnosis in February 2020, a biopsy left Rob with double vision and without feeling on the left side of his body. The 17-year-old fitness fan had to learn to walk again.
Steroid medications piled on the pounds, adding 25kg of body mass, as well as severe acne and sore stretch marks.
Throughout lockdown Rob has slowly but surely returned to the training and weightlifting he loves.
He also raised nearly £5,000 for brain tumour research by completing a charity CrossFit competition.
Rob has managed to shed most of the medication weight and feels like he's back to "normal".
He said: ‘My focus also remains on my fitness and on staying as strong and healthy as possible.’
Joe Woollcott, who represents Brain Tumour Research, said: ‘We were so sorry to learn about Rob’s DIPG diagnosis.
‘Rob’s powerful story reminds us that brains tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any time.
‘We are committed to finding a cure, to help prevent more families from having their lives turned upside-down by this awful disease.’
