A former Royal Marine was told by doctors that his headaches and dizziness were probably due to dehydration or migraines, then given 12 to 18 months. terminal brain cancer Diagnosis.
James Greenwood, 42, who lives in Wales with his girlfriend Rachel Jones, 31, said he began experiencing dizziness and “persistent”, “dull” headaches while talking to his brother-in-law in May.
“My vision was a little shaky and I needed to sit down for a bit,” he said.
“I've always had a clean bill of health so I thought it was a bit unusual,” Mr Greenwood told PA Life.
Shortly thereafter, Greenwood said he began having headaches that began as “persistent” and “mild” pain.
He booked an appointment with his GP for 5 June and was told that his symptoms were probably linked to dehydration, and that his eye test might be delayed, as he wears glasses and his job involves working with computer screens. Is included.
Greenwood was also given a blood test and an electrocardiogram (ECG), which is a non-invasive test that measures the electrical activity of the heart, but said both tests came back with “no concerns”.
After being “on the move” for a few days, an “unusual incident” happened to him in Manchester on 10 June.
“I was walking across the city and it was like an outside experience, everything slowed down around me which gave me anxiety,” he said.
He made an appointment with his GP the same day and was told his symptoms were consistent with migraine.
“I'd never suffered from migraines before so I was skeptical,” Greenwood said.
“With the first GP appointment, I was pushing for some kind of scan – maybe it was a sixth sense or something, but I just knew how I felt and I wanted to get peace of mind more than anything. Was trying to.”
She said she was given migraine-relieving medication and was told to make another appointment by the end of the week if it did not have the desired effect.
However, Greenwood woke up at about 5 a.m. on June 12 with a “severe” headache that caused him to go to the emergency room, and after “persistent” requests for a CT scan, a walnut-sized mass was found on the right temporal lobe. Went. his mind.
Greenwood had brain surgery to remove the tumor on June 28 and in August he was given the “bombshell” news that it was identified as grade four glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer, and 12. A forecast of 18 months was given.
“There are some days when you have to pinch yourself and question whether this is really happening,” Greenwood said.
“It's incredibly difficult to receive the news and you're shocked initially but after that, you're forced to process it and try to take the good from it.”
After a six-week course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Greenwood is waiting to see if the treatment improves his prognosis, before starting a more intensive course of chemotherapy at the end of October.
“Surprisingly, it's been kind of liberating,” he said.
“I think everyone is probably guilty of taking people for granted, your loved ones, friends, family, but it has had the effect of reconnecting me with some old friends, I think it's brought family closer. Is.”
“It changes your perspective and it's a bit cliché but you're trying to enjoy every moment.”
Greenwood has tried to “savour” every moment since his diagnosis, a mindset he attributes to the training he received in the Royal Marines, in which he served for five years from the age of 18.
He and three of his friends ran the 32km Adele Skyline Run in the Peak District of England on 21 September to raise money for brain tumor research, raising over $27,252 so far and he hopes to “Others can also benefit” from their efforts. Saying it was a bucket list item to raise money for a charity.
Mr. Greenwood said, “Those who have commented on how positively I responded to this recent bombing, I would largely attribute that to the mentality that the Marines actually used.”
“Commando training was designed so that no matter what you deal with in life, you can always refer back to it.”
“For me, it's about trying to stay as normal as possible and it takes a lot of faith for people to say that positivity is a huge benefit in fighting diseases and I can't understand dealing with it any other way. “
To learn more, visit Mr. Greenwood's JustGiving page Here
