49-Year-Old Dad Given Months to Live After Brain Tumour Diagnosis
A 49-year-old dad from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, has been told he has just months to live after being rushed to hospital with an ear infection that turned out to be a terminal brain tumour.[0]
Dave Whitford first realised something was wrong when he was sitting in his garden and suddenly became extremely dizzy and started vomiting.[0] The next day, hospital physicians informed him that he had an inner ear infection caused by a miniscule insect bite.[0]
But as his symptoms failed to subside, doctors performed a scan on his head which revealed he had a small mass on his brain.[1] Part of his brain was taken out as part of his treatment, and now he is experiencing severe side effects including short-term memory loss and low energy.
The mass was monitored for two years and as it began to grow, doctors decided to remove it which led to the discovery he was actually suffering from an incurable grade four brain tumour.[1] He said: “When they removed it, it took them a month to find out how bad it actually was. They thought it might have been a grade two tumour to start with but it got examined and it came back as a grade four which is the worst one.”[1]
He was left devastated when he was told he has just around a year to 18 months left to live.[2] Dave worked as a bus driver until he got ill, but his driving licence was taken off him as soon as he was diagnosed with the mass on his brain.[0] For the past three years, he has been able to take on a variety of roles and do odd jobs for others; however, he has been forced to cease his work due to the intensity of his symptoms.[0]
Dave has created a Go Fund Me page in order to provide assistance to his family while he is not able to work.[1] He said: “My 50th birthday is this May so I had a birthday party last year in case I don’t make it to being 50. So I invited around 60 people round, including all of my family and friends, to just celebrate.”[2]
Dave has undergone chemotherapy over six months and radiotherapy, but as he has had so much treatment and part of his brain removed, he’s now suffering from debilitating side affects. He said: “It does affect people differently and it’s affected my short term memory so I forget a lot of things.[1]
0. “I was rushed to hospital with an ear infection – now I’ve got just months to live…” The US Sun, 24 Jan. 2023, https://www.the-sun.com/health/7210331/brain-cancer-ear-infection/
1. “Dad given months to live after ‘ear infection’ found to be a tumour” NationalWorld, 24 Jan. 2023, https://www.nationalworld.com/health/dad-ear-infection-incurable-brain-tumour-3999244
2. “Dad who was told he had an ear infection now has months to live” Wales Online, 24 Jan. 2023, https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/real-life/dad-who-told-ear-infection-26055382