The family of a ‘healthy’ 35 year-old man given a shock, life-limiting brain tumour diagnosis have warned those under 40 to watch out for red flags of the deadly disease.
Dan Wyatt, from Somerset, developed migraines in early 2023, but assumed they were due to eye strain, given the number of hours he spent looking at a screen in his job as a surveyor.
The father-of-four visited an optician to see if a prescription for glasses could relieve his frequent headaches.
When the eye specialist told him his sight was normal, he assumed there was nothing to worry about, and tried to limit screen time as much as he could.
But a few weeks later, he was struck with severe dizziness that prompted him to visit his local A&E.
The hospital doctors performed a scan that revealed he had been living with a tennis ball-sized brain tumour.
Dan Wyatt, from Somerset, (pictured with his wife Leoni) developed migraines in early 2023, but assumed they were due to eye strain, given the number of hours he spent looking at a screen in his job as a surveyor
The hospital doctors performed a scan that revealed he had been living with a tennis ball-sized brain tumour
Specifically, he had a oligodendroglioma — a rare type of tumour that kills around a quarter of those who develop it.
Doctors said Mr Wyatt he would be dead within weeks if doctors did not operate.
His mother in law, Sarah Back, 54, who is cycling 274 miles in August to raise money for the charity Brain Tumour Research, said of the ordeal: ‘We’ve been told it could be as little as weeks, or at best it could be 14 years, we just don’t know.
‘Before Dan, I was so ignorant of the impact of brain tumours.
‘When I found out that the disease kills more people under 40 than any other cancer, it took my breath away.’
Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40 and more than 5,300 people lose their lives to a brain tumour each year.
Mr Wyatt’s story comes amid an intriguing rise in cancers among young UK adults.
Doctors said Mr Wyatt he would be dead within weeks if doctors did not operate
About three out of every 100 brain tumours diagnosed in England are oligodendrogliomas. They develop from glial cells called oligodendrocytes and are more common in adults than children
Cancer rates in 25 to 49-year-olds increased by 22 per cent in the UK between the early 1990s and 2018, according to Cancer Research UK.
But oligodendrogliomas are rare. About three out of every 100 brain tumours diagnosed in England are oligodendrogliomas.
They develop from glial cells called oligodendrocytes and are more common in adults than children.
Common symptoms include headaches and seizures, but this depends on where the tumour is in the brain, Cancer Research UK explains.
The Brain Tumour Charity adds that one in three people could experience personality changes caused by a brain tumour or its treatment, especially if the tumour is in the frontal lobe.
Weakness in a part of your body and vison or speech problems are also common symptoms of brain tumours, the NHS says.
Common symptoms include headaches and seizures, but this depends on where the tumour is in the brain, Cancer Research UK explains
Mr Wyatt has since undergone life-changing brain surgery to remove the tumour, as well as radiotherapy.
The condition has caused him to lose the majority of his vision.
‘Before my diagnosis I was a happy, fit, energetic father of four,’ he says.
‘Then I got my shock diagnosis. Brain cancer hasn’t just affected me medically it has changed my and my whole family’s life.
‘I had to give up work, my wife had to give up work to care for me as I lost a lot of my vision following the operation to remove the tumour.
‘Cancer doesn’t care who it hurts it doesn’t affect just the person diagnosed, in my case it has immediately impacted six people’s lives.’
Mr Wyatt’s family have united around him and created ‘Team Danny’, raising more than £12,000 for the charity to support him.
One of the team’s fundraisers has seen his son, Daniel, who is still at school, shave his head with his classmates.
Mr Wyatt’s family have united around him and created ‘Team Danny’, raising more than £12,000 for the charity to support him
His mother in law, Sarah Back, 54, is cycling 274 miles in August to raise money for the charity Brain Tumour Research
Ms Back said: ‘Family, whether connected by blood or marriage, means everything to me.
‘I’ve known Dan longer than Dan has known Dan, and supporting him through this is something I simply have to do no matter what.
‘How Dan has remained so positive has been an inspiration. He’s ready to do whatever it takes, and so is Team Danny.
‘He doesn’t want to keep talking about his cancer, he just wants to live as normally as he can.
‘He’s faced with a massive battle, but he’s grasped it with both hands.’
Louise Aubrey, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: ‘We are so grateful to Sarah and the whole of Team Danny who have rallied around Dan so resiliently.
‘Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. Sadly, so many people under the age of 40 suffer from the disease, and Dan’s story is not an anomaly.
‘Only by funding more research can we find a cure together.’
