Brain tumour dad praises ‘amazing compassion and support’ of Cov hospital staff
A FATHER of three on life-long chemotherapy after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour says he owes his life to staff at a Coventry hospital.
For years Mark Poulton put his mild memory problems, mood changes and headaches down to constant working, as the owner of a forklift training company, his lifestyle and ageing.
But those observations were shockingly disproved when Mark suffered a seizure and was blue lighted to King’s Mill Hospital in Mansfield. A scan revealed the devastating news of a 6cm mass on his brain and he was diagnosed with a high-grade oligodendroglioma.
Mark, from Redditch in Worcestershire, was later transferred to University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire in Walsgrave where debulking surgery lasting eight hours successfully removed 90% of the tumour. He has also undergone gruelling treatment including 37 rounds of radiotherapy and countless bouts of chemotherapy since that earth-shattering diagnosis in June 2014.
The treatment has been based at UHCW which he credits with not only saving his life, but extending it. “I’m a glass half full kind of person and I feel fortunate that research and development of treatments means I am still here today,” the 48-year-old said.
“The children know that daddy has a lump in his head and he has to take medication. The compassion and support of the staff at UHCW has been and continues to be amazing.”
Mark says the first year after diagnosis was especially hard for him, his wife Kristina and children Courtney, 25, Lacey, 12, and eight-year-old Rhys. “Katrina has been a rock throughout my diagnosis and helps me with the business,” he added.
“Our son, Rhys was just a few months old when I was diagnosed and that was hard for the whole family and that made me slow down for the first year after I was diagnosed.
“Now Lacey is older, I have been completely honest with her. She’s incredible and is part of the reason I am taking part in this challenge. Lacey got into running for Birchfield Harriers after picking up an injury which meant she had to give up her promising career in gymnastics.
“Running is something we have been able to do together - something we can bond over.”
The challenge to which Marks refers
is a 26.2-mile run through the month of May. Mark is already halfway through and has raised more than £325 for Brain Tumour Research.
The charity exists to help find a cure for the disease which kills more men under 70 than prostate cancer. Mel Tiley, community development manager at BTR, said: “We’re sorry to hear about Mark’s diagnosis and wish him well in his continuing treatment.
“Mark’s story is a stark reminder of how indiscriminate brain tumours are, affecting anyone at any age. They kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.
“We’re determined to change this and are so grateful for the support of people like Mark and Lacey whose fundraising efforts enable us to continue funding vital research and to, ultimately, find a cure.”
The charity funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients.
It is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35million to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia and is also campaigning for greater repurposing of drugs.
You can donate to Mark’s fundraising appeal at www.facebook.com/ donate/392000992749015/