Teen dies from one of the 'deadliest types of brain tumors' months after doctor dismissed symptoms as ear infection
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: PA media
A teenager began experiencing dizziness and severe headaches, only to be told it was simply an ear infection rather than the life-threatening tumor it actually was.
British teenager Jac Sexton has died only a few months after being misdiagnosed by a doctor, as he suffered with debilitating symptoms and his health began to decline.
Back in October 2024, he began experiencing dizziness and slurring his speech, making him appear drunk.
When he went to a doctor, the 19-year-old Jac from Aberdare in South Wales was initially told that his condition was an ear infection following a recent bout of glandular fever.
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However, he later discovered what he was suffering with was actually a high-grade glioblastoma, one of the deadliest types of brain tumors.
The cancer was on the brain stem, which is highly rare, and meant they were not able to perform a biopsy or treat it as a regular cancer.
This meant that Jac had to endure the most intense course of radiotherapy possible: five days a week for six straight weeks.
Despite this, Jac suffered what was feared to be a fatal medical emergency while he was at home, which required emergency surgery.
Doctors were initially stunned as Jac staged a remarkable recovery after this episode with one remarking they “had not seen [a recovery like this] in 30 years” of medicine. However, his brain tumor remained and eventually claimed his life on February 25, 2025.
Following his death, his family have spoken about how positive Jac was throughout his treatment and while he was in hospital.
Jac’s uncle Rhydian Sexton, 37, a site supervisor from Aberdare, who has been “like a father” to Jac, told PA Real Life: “Jac touched so many people in the last few months.
“The nurses called him ‘Sassy Jac’. Even though he was going through what he was, he had so much character.
“That’s what kept him fighting so long. In the last two weeks, the laughter we’ve had in the house was amazing. The relationship he had with his family said it all. He was happy, which is the main thing.”
A friend set up a GoFundMe page when Jac fell ill with a target of £1,000, but it has already surpassed £13,000.
Rhydian added that “The aim is now to promote Jac’s story and raise as much as we can.”