I survived a brain tumour and then my dog died from one

Adrian Haynes, 53, from Blackpool, endured over a decade of unexplained health issues while living in Northamptonshire.

His symptoms included seizures, extreme muscle cramps, distorted vision, and memory loss.

Despite raising repeated concerns with multiple GP surgeries and departments he was frequently told his symptoms were due to stress or simple leg cramps.

Medical professionals also failed to diagnose Adrian with epilepsy, despite clear neurological symptoms.

In May 2023, he suffered a major tonic-clonic seizure and was rushed by ambulance to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, where he experienced acute confusion and left-sided weakness.

A CT and MRI scan revealed a slow-growing tumour in his right frontal lobe, measuring 26 millimetres, that may have been developing for over a decade.

Adrian said: “I had been asking for a brain scan for years. I wrote letters, sent emails, raised it in consultations, and even explained how a nurse friend witnessed one of my seizure episodes and urged me to get a scan.

“Despite all this, I was repeatedly told it was just leg cramps or that I was reading too much online.

“When the tumour was finally discovered, I wasn’t even shocked – I was angry. I had challenged GPs and neurologists, but my concerns were dismissed. Some even told me my symptoms didn’t fit a brain tumour diagnosis.

“The damage to my health, career, finances, and confidence could have been avoided.”

One of the most shocking revelations came when Adrian reviewed his medical history.

In 2009, a routine workplace hearing test uncovered hearing loss.

He was then referred to an ENT department where a scan was arranged.

Despite informing the doctors he had metal in his right eye, which could pose a risk during MRI, he was still scanned.

The resulting MRI showed no issues with his inner ear but identified a lesion on the right side of his brain.

Two weeks later, Adrian received a letter from the ENT department stating that no abnormalities had been found, and he was discharged without further investigation.

He added: They knowingly left a lesion in my head and did nothing.

“The long-term impact has been devastating. I lost my business, our home, and my mental health suffered greatly.

“Frontal lobe damage affects memory, emotion, and physical coordination. It’s changed my life completely.”

Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age and kill more men under 70 than prostate cancer. Yet just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002.

Adrian underwent surgery in October 2023 at Royal Preston Hospital to remove the mass, which was later identified as a meningioma - the most common form of low-grade brain tumour found in adults.

In the weeks following the operation, his vision, balance, and seizure symptoms began to improve.

However, just as Adrian began his recovery, the family’s beloved dog Taz started suffering sudden and severe seizures.

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Despite medication and plans for a scan, Taz deteriorated rapidly until he sadly died, and a post-mortem revealed the cause was a brain tumour.

Adrian added: “Taz had been with us through everything, with my wife Yvonne and her cancer, and me with my brain tumour.

“He was by my side during the worst parts of my illness, and he and Yvonne kept me going when I felt like giving up.

“To see him suddenly start seizing, and then to lose him so quickly, was heartbreaking. To then be told he had a brain tumour too felt surreal.

“You would not believe it if it was a film script. I was grieving him while still trying to process my own diagnosis and surgery. It was a cruel twist of fate that I’ll never forget.”

This was not the first time brain tumours had affected Adrian’s family. His cousin Mark died of brain cancer less than two years ago, while Yvonne was undergoing cancer treatment.

Another cousin, Stephen, tragically passed away at just 19 from SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy). A post-mortem revealed he also had a brain tumour. Adrian also lost his job when delays with the DVLA in returning his driving licence, following his seizure diagnosis, led to his employer letting him go.

He was later diagnosed with PTSD, which he attributes to years of medical, legal, and financial challenges.

Now, retraining as a mental health counsellor, Adrian is determined to turn his experience into something positive.

He volunteers at Counselling in the Community, helping to prepare its new Cleveleys centre, and continues to raise awareness about brain tumours through the charity, Brain Tumour Research and even helped the charity by lighting up Blackpool Tower in pink and yellow during Brain Tumour Awareness Month in March.

To learn more about Brain Tumour Research click HERE.