Father of two faces brain tumour fight for third time

Craig Leach, a Witney resident diagnosed with brain cancer in May 2022, initially experienced recurring severe headaches.

The 36-year-old's symptoms were wrongly diagnosed as depression, weeks after the news he and his wife Janin were expecting their second child.

Mr Leach with his wife and children (Image: Brain Tumour Research)

Mr Leach said: "The doctor hinted I may not be as happy about the news of another baby as I was making out.

"However, Janin and I had been trying; I was over the moon, which made the suggestion that I was suffering depression hard to believe."

Following a CT scan revealing a fist-sized brain mass, Mr Leach underwent a nine-hour debulking surgery and was diagnosed with a grade 3 astrocytoma.

This type of cancer typically gives patients a three to five-year survival prognosis from the diagnosis date.

He added: "I was terrified I would never see my family again and said goodbye to Luca who was two at the time.

"I didn’t know if I’d make it through the procedure to meet my unborn baby."

Doctors fitted a shunt to drain cerebral fluid build-up on his brain, followed by six weeks of radiotherapy.

During his second chemotherapy cycle in November 2022, Mr Leach's wife gave birth to their second son, Rory.

However, last month saw more devastating news for Mr Leach – his tumour had grown.

On December 1, he endured another operation.

Craig Leach after his surgery on 1 December (Image: Brain Tumour Research)

He said: "I’ve been told that I will need more chemo but I am taking each day as it comes.

"We are also in the process of looking at private immunotherapy treatment available only overseas which we are funding ourselves."

Mr Leach's plight has driven him to raise £6,000 for charity Brain Tumour Research.

His story is showcased in the charity’s advent appeal, aiming to inspire donations to help find a cure for patients like him.

The appeal video can be viewed at www.braintumourresearch.org/pages/advent-appeal.

Brain tumours claim more lives of children and people under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet it has received only 1 per cent of national cancer research spend since 2002.

Mel Tiley, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: "We’re incredibly grateful to Craig for sharing his story and wish him well in his recovery and ongoing treatment.

“This December, please help us raise awareness of the indiscriminate nature of brain tumours, raise vital funds to get us closer to our vision of a cure and bring hope to everyone affected by this devastating disease."

Brain Tumour Research also campaigns for more investments into brain tumour research from the Government and bigger cancer charities, aiming for a national annual expenditure of £35 million.