A truck driver who went to hospital with a headache and a stiff neck was shocked to learn he had a brain tumour ‘the size of an egg’.
Terry Charters was diagnosed with the aggressive tumour in 2020 and underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment to tackle it.
Sadly however, the rare form of cancer, called oligodendroglioma, was deemed to be incurable and nothing more can be done.
The 59-year-old, from Smallthorne in Stoke on Trent, now has three-monthly scans to monitor thetumour and he and and his family are taking life one day at a time.
Terry had been away driving a lorry when he started suffering from tinnitus and headaches.
He said: ‘I went to bed early but I couldn’t sleep. I got up and I couldn’t twist my neck so I said “I’m going home because I don’t feel well”.
‘I went to Haywood Hospital and they thought it was a soft tissue injury in my neck – it wasn’t presenting anything serious, I just had a stiff neck and a headache.’
Terry returned home but the headaches didn’t get any better so he was sent for a scan, which he says he’s thankful for.
‘I could have been treated for headaches and I would have been none the wiser until something really serious happened,’ he explained.
‘I’d had no seizures but I was told it was a grade three tumour the size of an egg – three centimetres – and it was already aggressive.
‘I don’t know how long it was there for or what caused it, it just happened and was unknown.’
Terry’s wife Tracey urged people to go to the doctor if they have any health issues, adding: ‘If Terry hadn’t got checked out he could have had a seizure or something worse.
‘People don’t think it’ll happen to them, just over four years ago we didn’t have the slightest inclination to how things would change; we’re now unable to travel abroad, and it makes a big difference to your lifestyle.’
Tracey said their lives since the diagnosis had been stressful at times but described the team at Royal Stoke University Hospital, where Terry has been treated, as ‘amazing’.
She added: ‘What will be will be, we’re just getting on with things the best we can, but we don’t think about it to be honest, until we meet that time.’
Tomorrow Terry, who has given up his lorry driving but is still mobile, is holding a fundraising fun day at the White Hart, in Smallthorne in aid of Brain Tumour Support.
An online appeal has raised hundreds of pounds for the charity.
Tracey added: ‘Every penny we raise is going to Brain Tumour Support. We’ve had amazing support from the community in terms of donations, time, effort, and we’re really grateful for everyone who’s supported us on this journey.’
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