The family of a “healthy” 35-year-old man who was diagnosed with a shocking and potentially life-threatening brain tumour have warned those under 40 to beware of the warning signs 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 staring at a screen in his job as a surveyor.
The father of four visited an optician to see if a glasses prescription could relieve his frequent headaches.
When the ophthalmologist told her her vision was normal, she assumed there was nothing to worry about and tried to limit her screen time as much as she could.
But a few weeks later, he suffered severe dizziness that led him to visit the local emergency room.
Doctors at the hospital performed a scan which revealed that he had been living with a brain tumor the size of a tennis ball.
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 staring at a screen in his job as a surveyor.
Doctors at the hospital performed a scan which revealed that he had been living with a brain tumor the size of a tennis ball.
Specifically, he had oligodendroglioma, a rare type of tumor that kills about a quarter of those who develop it.
Doctors said Mr Wyatt would die within weeks if he did not have surgery.
Her mother-in-law Sarah Back, 54, who will cycle 274 miles in August to raise money for the Brain Tumour Research charity, said of the ordeal: “We’ve been told it could last as little as a few weeks or at best 14 years, but we don’t know.”
‘Before Dan, I was very ignorant about the impact of brain tumors.
“When I learned that this disease kills more people under 40 than any other cancer, I was shocked.”
Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related death in children and adults under 40 years of age, and more than 5,300 people die each year from a brain tumor.
Wyatt’s story comes amid an intriguing rise in cancers among young adults in the UK.
Doctors said Mr Wyatt would die within weeks if he did not have surgery.
About three in every 100 brain tumours diagnosed in England are oligodendrogliomas. They develop from glial cells called oligodendrocytes and are more common in adults than in children.
Cancer rates in people aged 25 to 49 rose by 22 per cent in the UK between the early 1990s and 2018, according to Cancer Research UK.
But oligodendrogliomas are rare: about three in every 100 brain tumours diagnosed in England are oligodendrogliomas.
They develop from glial cells called oligodendrocytes and are more common in adults than in 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 one part of the body and problems with vision or speech are also common symptoms of brain tumours, the NHS says.
Common symptoms include headaches and seizures, but this depends on where the tumour is located 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 most of his vision.
“Before my diagnosis I was a happy, fit and energetic father of four,” he says.
‘Then I received the diagnosis, which left me in shock. Brain cancer not only affected me medically, but changed my life and that of my entire family.
‘I had to stop working, my wife had to stop working to look after me because I lost a lot of my vision after the operation to remove the tumour.
“Cancer doesn’t matter who it affects, it doesn’t just affect the person diagnosed, in my case it has immediately impacted the lives of six people.”
Mr Wyatt’s family rallied around him and created ‘Team Danny’, raising more than £12,000 for the charity in support of him.
One of the team’s fundraisers has seen his son, Daniel, who is still in school, shave his head along with his classmates.
Mr Wyatt’s family rallied around him and created ‘Team Danny’, raising more than £12,000 for the charity to support him.
Her mother-in-law, Sarah Back, 54, will cycle 440km in August to raise money for the Brain Tumour Research charity.
Ms Back said: ‘Family, whether linked by blood or marriage, means everything to me.
‘I’ve known Dan longer than Dan has known Dan, and supporting him in this is something I just have to do, no matter what.
“The way Dan has remained so positive has been an inspiration. He’s willing to do whatever it takes, as is Danny’s team.
‘He doesn’t want to talk about his cancer anymore, he just wants to live as normally as possible.
“He faces a huge battle, but he has grabbed it with both hands.”
Louise Aubrey, Community Development Manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: ‘We are so grateful to Sarah and the entire Danny team who have supported Dan with such resilience.
Brain tumors do not discriminate between individuals and can affect anyone at any age. Sadly, many people under the age of 40 suffer from this disease, and Dan’s story is not an anomaly.
“Only by funding more research can we find a cure together.”
