A dad was told that he only had 'days left to live' after suffering from appalling headaches for 10 years.
Luke Taylor is a civil engineer from Warrington in Cheshire, and opened up about being given the devastating news.
The 27-year-old had been suffering with debilitating headaches as well as nausea, sometimes vomiting for days at a time.
Luke went to his doctor, who he says told him that his symptoms that it was 'just migraines' and that he was 'healthy'.
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"One day, I was fed up with my headaches - they were getting worse and worse - I wanted to cry with the pain," he said.
However, in July 2025 his symptoms began to intensify and he would have migraines and be sick several times each day.
Finally, he went for an MRI scan, and the results showed that he had a tumor called a haemangioblastoma, which can grow in the brain and spinal cord, and that his tumor was the size of a golf ball.
If he didn't have emergency surgery, doctors said that he may have had just days to live.
"When you get news like that, you go into yourself," he said. "Your mind races, you don't want to speak to anyone, you think your life is done.
"I was 26 when I was diagnosed. I had the rest of my life ahead of me, I have a daughter, and I wasn't sure how I was going to tell my family.
"They said if I didn't have emergency surgery, I could have days to live. I thought I was going to die."
After the diagnosis Luke had a nine-hour-long operation at Walton Hospital in Liverpool, and afterwards was told that surgeons had been able to remove the tumor.
But there was a complication.
Luke's partner Nia Jones said: "I saw Luke after his operation - he was very erratic. He was slurring his words and couldn't open his eyes.
"Then a day after the surgery, we were told he had a bleed on the brain and had to go back in for emergency surgery."
After being in hospital for 18 days, Luke was discharged, but his health was poor and recovery was just beginning.
"Luke had to relearn how to walk, speak again, and use his hands," said Nia. "He couldn’t dress himself or even cut up his own food.
"Every day was frustrating, exhausting, and emotional - for both of us - but we were determined to do everything possible to help him recover. "
But in November 2025, doctors told Luke that the surgery had been a success.
"I was overwhelmed when they told me the surgery was successful," Luke said. "I cried my eyes out, I was so happy they got it all."
Now, Luke is trying to raise awareness about the condition and raise money for the Brain Tumour Charity.
Joanna Moss, Director of Services at The Brain Tumour Charity, said: "Faster diagnosis of brain tumours is vital.
"That's why The Brain Tumour Charity works with healthcare professionals to increase their confidence in recognising signs and symptoms, and in referring for scans if they are at all concerned."
Luke, Nia, and his sister Leah and her partner Gary will hike three Yorkshire peaks in one day on July 18 2026.
Nia said: "We have gone through a lot with the family. We wanted to raise money for the charity that has supported us throughout, and show support to others."
She added: "We want to show people that there is light at the end of the tunnel and people can get through this."
Kit Roberts