Man, 31, diagnosed with incurable cancer after symptom was mistaken as pain from exercise

Warning: This article contains discussion of cancer which some readers may find distressing.

A man with brain cancer has shared how he believed the symptoms he suffered months prior to his diagnosis were related to exercising.

Sean Sweeney, of Doncaster, a city in the north of England, was diagnosed with incurable a grade three astrocytoma, a fast-growing, malignant brain tumor, while in his late 20s in July 2022.

From the beginning of that year, he began experiencing frequent headaches, muscular pain and a strange tingling sensation running down the right side of his body.

Believing it was simply down to a torn ligament in his neck as a result of weight training, he booked himself in for a course of physiotherapy.

After attending multiple physio sessions, none of which seemed to address the issue, his physio informed him that he was being discharged because they couldn't identify the cause of the pain.

"That was worrying," the 31-year-old told UK-based charity Brain Tumor Research.

Sean Sweeney married Lucy, his partner of 12 years, shortly after receiving his diagnosis (Sean Sweeney)

"I remember feeling frustrated and unsettled, thinking, 'I don’t feel right', but not being able to explain why. I was struggling to concentrate, and the symptoms just kept lingering."

It all came to a head in July 2022.

The Yorkshireman suffered a seizure in his sleep and was woken by his partner Lucy, who he had been with for 12 years and went on to marry a matter of weeks after his diagnosis.

"The night of my seizure had a huge impact on her, leaving her anxious and unable to return home for several days," he explained.

"Throughout everything, Lucy has been my absolute rock, and I couldn’t have got through this without her.

"While I was in A&E [the emergency room], doctors carried out a CT scan. Later that morning, during a ward round, a junior doctor told me they had found a lesion on my brain. I felt completely numb. I didn’t cry or panic - my mind went straight to Lucy and my family."

Sweeney was awake when he underwent a gruelling 10-hour surgery to remove the bulk of the tumor (Sean Sweeney)

In a GoFundMe set up to raise funds to help find a cure for for the disease, Sweeney explains how his life was 'dominated' by his diagnosis - 'starting with the surgery'.

"Following some intense preparation with clinical Psychologists in the months prior, I undertook a near 10 hour awake craniotomy brain surgery to help debulk my brain tumour in November 2022," he wrote.

"It was during this procedure that I suffered an acute stroke for which I am extremely lucky to have no significant lasting side effects today."

According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 18,330 people were anticipated to have died as a result of brain and spinal cord tumors. Sweeney also noted that 'brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer' in the UK.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.