Fit and healthy father of four thought migraines were caused by too much screen time… in reality it was a brain tumor the size of a tennis ball that could have killed him within weeks
The family of a “healthy” 35-year-old man diagnosed with a shocking brain tumor is warning people under 40 to watch for signs of the deadly disease.
Dan Wyatt from Somerset started suffering from migraines in early 2023, but he assumed it was due to eyestrain given the number of hours he spent in front of a screen as a surveyor.
The father of four visited an optician to see if glasses could relieve his frequent headaches.
When the ophthalmologist told him that his vision was normal, he assumed nothing was wrong and tried to limit his screen time as much as possible.
But a few weeks later, he became so dizzy that he went to the emergency room.
Doctors at the hospital performed a scan which revealed he had a brain tumor the size of a tennis ball.
Dan Wyatt, from Somerset (pictured with his wife Leoni), started suffering from migraines in early 2023 but assumed it was due to eye strain given the amount of time he spent staring at a screen in his job as a surveyor
The hospital doctors performed a scan which revealed that he was living with a brain tumor the size of a tennis ball
Specifically, he had an oligodendroglioma, a rare type of tumor that kills about a quarter of people who develop the disease.
Doctors said Mr. Wyatt would die within weeks if he did not have surgery.
His mother-in-law, Sarah Back, 54, who is cycling 270 miles in August to raise money for the charity Brain Tumour Research, said of the ordeal: ‘We’ve been told it could be just a few weeks, but it could be up to 14 years. We just don’t know.
‘Before Dan came along, I knew nothing about the impact of brain tumors.
“When I found out that this disease kills more people under 40 than any other cancer, I was speechless.”
Brain tumors are the leading cause of death in children and adults under the age of 40. More than 5,300 people die from brain tumors each year.
Mr Wyatt’s story comes at a time when there has been an intriguing rise in cancer cases among young adults in the UK.
Doctors said Mr. Wyatt would be dead within weeks if doctors did not operate on him.
About three out of every 100 brain tumours diagnosed in the UK are oligodendrogliomas. They develop from glial cells called oligodendrocytes and are more common in adults than children.
According to Cancer Research UK, the number of cancer cases among 25 to 49 year-olds in the UK rose by 22 percent between the early 1990s and 2018.
But oligodendrogliomas are rare. About three out of every 100 brain tumours diagnosed in England are oligodendrogliomas.
They arise 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 in the brain the tumour is located, Cancer Research UK explains.
According to the Brain Tumour Charity, one in three people may experience personality changes as a result of a brain tumour or its treatment, especially if the tumour is in the frontal lobe.
Weakness in a part of your 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 in the brain, Cancer Research UK explains
Mr. Wyatt has since undergone life-changing brain surgery to remove the tumor and has also undergone radiation therapy.
This condition has caused him to lose most of his vision.
“Before I was diagnosed, I was a happy, fit, energetic father of four,” he says.
‘Then I got my shock diagnosis. Brain cancer has not only affected me medically, it has changed my life and the lives of my entire family.
‘I had to stop working, and my wife had to stop working to take care of me, because after the operation to remove the tumor, I had lost a large part of my vision.
‘Cancer doesn’t care who gets sick, it doesn’t just affect the person who gets diagnosed. In my case, it directly affected the lives of six people.’
Mr Wyatt’s family have rallied around him and formed ‘Team Danny’, raising over £12,000 for charity in support of him.
During one of the team’s fundraisers, his son Daniel, who is still in school, shaved his head along with his classmates.
Mr Wyatt’s family have rallied around him and formed ‘Team Danny’, raising over £12,000 for charity to support him
His mother-in-law, Sarah Back, 54, is cycling 270 miles in August to raise money for the charity Brain Tumour Research
Mrs Back said: ‘Family, whether by blood or marriage, means everything to me.
“I’ve known Dan longer than Dan has known Dan, and I have to support him no matter what.”
“The way Dan has stayed so positive is an inspiration. He is ready to do whatever it takes, and so is Team Danny.
‘He no longer wants to talk about his cancer, he just wants to live as normally as possible.
‘He faces a huge battle, but he is seizing it with both hands.’
Louise Aubrey, Community Development Manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are so grateful to Sarah and all of Team Danny for their resilient support of Dan.
‘Brain tumors are random; they can strike anyone at any age. Unfortunately, so many people under the age of 40 suffer from the disease, and Dan’s story is no exception.
‘Only by funding more research can we find a cure together.’