A man who died from a brain tumour was initially diagnosed with an ear infection.
Jac Sexton had begun his career as a hairdresser in South Wales when he started to experience dizziness, double vision and slurring in his speech in October 2024.
The 19-year-old visited the doctors who told him that he had an ear infection from a recent bout of glandular fever.
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Sadly, Jac later learned that his symptoms were that of a high-grade glioblastoma, an aggressive and fast-growing type of brain tumour.
The teenager underwent six weeks of radiotherapy and lost the ability to swallow and perform normal tasks.
Due to the size of the cancer and the location on the brain stem, it prevented him having conventional chemotherapy treatment.
He suddenly suffered a near-fatal medical collapse which lead to emergency surgery at his home in Aberdare in January.
Jac died from a diffused glioblastoma on 25 February 2025.
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Jac’s uncle Rhydian Sexton, 37, 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.”
Jac's treatment ended on Christmas Eve and the final chemo session took its toll on him.
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On 4 January, the aspiring barber suffered stopped breathing and collapsed.
According to the NHS, this aspiration occurs 'when food, drink or saliva goes the wrong way, enters the windpipe and goes into the lungs'.
Paramedics arrived at the scene and were forced to cut open his trachea to get to the blockage.
For the next 40 minutes he drifted in and out of consciousness as his access to oxygen waned.
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“The prognosis was bad,” said Rhydian, a site supervisor from Aberdare.
“The doctors said that if he did wake up, he would be brain dead or fully disabled.
“The amount of trauma Jac’s body had been through with the tumour and the radiotherapy and now this on top, nobody’s body should be able to go through that.”
But Jac's uncle praised the NHS for their persistent work when he was transferred to Noah’s Arc Cancer Centre.
“You see so much negativity around the NHS,” Rhydian said.
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“But Noah’s Arc has been amazing – the nurses there are second to none.
“Nothing’s too much trouble. The passion they had for caring for their patients is remarkable.”
“His older brother Jay was by his side,” Rhydian added.
“And his cousins Caitlin and Josh, Libby, Riley and Mason, all came to see him too. His stepdad Rob was also so important and his girlfriend Abby was with him for his final few weeks.”
A friend set up a GoFundMe page when Jac fell ill with a target of £1,000, but it has already surpassed £13,000. You can donate here.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Anish Vij