Doctors gave me 15 months to live after my headache turned out to be terminal cancer: Heartbreaking diagnosis from dad, 39, who thought his symptoms were due to too much work

By Liam On Mar 20, 2024

A father-of-three whose headaches turned out to be brain cancer has been given 15 months to live.

Ricky Smith, from the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, started suffering from headaches in February but initially put this down to working too much.

After two weeks of unrelenting pain, Katrina Binfield, the 39-year-old site manager’s partner, urged him to see his doctor, who reportedly told him to simply drink more water and rest.

However, Mr Smith’s pain continued, prompting Mrs Binfield, 41, to book him in for an eye test which led to him being diagnosed with inoperable glioblastoma.

Mr Smith is now anxiously playing a ‘waiting game’ to see what treatment he can be offered to prolong his life.

Ricky Smith, 39, a location manager from Isle of Sheppey, Kent, pictured with his partner make-up artist Katrina Binfield, 41

Father-of-three Mr Smith (pictured with his family on the left) has been given 15 months to live after being diagnosed with his brain tumour. Mrs Binfield broke the devastating news last week to their children (pictured right), Louie, eight (centre), Karson, five (left) and Arlo two (right).

Make-up artist Mrs Binfield said: ‘Life is very up and down for us at the moment.

‘There are days when Ricky can be confused and forgetful and there are days when I can see the changes in him.

“That’s very difficult, I see my partner changing before my eyes.”

Speaking about his early symptoms, she added: ‘He started having constant headaches for a few weeks.

‘At first we thought it might be a virus. I was sick just before, but his lasted longer than mine.

WHAT IS A GLIOBLASTOMA?

Glioblastomas are the most common cancerous brain tumors in adults.

They grow quickly and are likely to spread.

The cause of glioblastomas is unknown but may be related to a patient’s genes if mutations cause cells to grow uncontrollably and form a tumor.

The treatment usually consists of surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible, followed by a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy (chemoradiation).

It can be difficult to remove all the growth because glioblastomas have tendrils that extend to other parts of the brain. These are addressed via chemoradiation.

Glioblastomas are often resistant to treatment because they are usually composed of different types of cells. Therefore, drugs will kill some cells and not others.

The average survival time is between 12 and 18 months.

Source: Brain Tumor Charity

‘He’s a hard-working man and never takes time off, but he started calling in sick and just sitting around the house.

‘I told him, ‘Rick, this isn’t you’ and ‘we need to get you looked at’.’

But when Mr Smith went to the doctor he was told to drink more water and relax, but his headaches persisted.

The couple went to Maidstone Hospital hoping to be seen, but after several hours of waiting the father-of-three became impatient and wanted to go home.

Mr Smith had an eye test done in early March, during which the optometrist saw blood behind him behind both eyes.

He was referred to Maidstone Hospital where a CT scan revealed a mass on the brain.

Mr. Smith was reportedly told he may have suffered a stroke before an MRI diagnosed him with glioblastoma, a type of fast-growing brain tumor.

Recalling that moment, Ms Binfield said: ‘A consultant came by to say they had found something in his results.

‘He was very vague, so Ricky said, ‘Tell me man to man if I have a tumor.’ The doctor confirmed he had a tumor and I broke down.

‘It was terrible, I just broke down, but Ricky tried to be strong.

“A woman opposite us burst into tears, look at us, we are a young family, you don’t expect this.”

About 2,500 Britons and 12,000 Americans are diagnosed with glioblastoma every year.

Headaches, seizures, nausea, drowsiness, vision problems and personality changes are major symptoms.

These are caused by the tumor increasing pressure in the skull as it grows.

Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are standard treatments.

There may be a life expectancy of just 12 to 18 months from diagnosis of glioblastoma and in many cases it recurs even after treatment, according to The Brain Tumor Charity.

Smith was diagnosed with butterfly glioblastoma, which means the tumor crosses both sides of the brain.

Mr Smith (pictured with his son Arlo) started to get headaches but initially put this down to being a hard worker and thought nothing of it

The couple’s friends have set up a GoFundMe page in the hope of raising £75,000 for private treatment, a 40th birthday celebration for Ricky and a wedding.

Last week, Mrs Binfield broke the devastating news to their children, Louie, eight, Karson, five, and Arlo, two.

She said, “Arlo is too little to understand, but I sat Louie and Karson down last week.

“Louie is such a sensitive soul, so I was really worried about him.

‘He stood up, gave me a hug and said, “Don’t worry mom, we will fight this.”

“Karson and I were crying and he got us tissues and wiped our eyes.

“He was great, but it still doesn’t feel like this is happening to us.”

The couple’s friends have a GoFundMe page hoping to raise £75,000 to pay for private treatment, a 40th birthday for Ricky and a wedding.

It has already raised £71,000 from 2,300 donations.