Joshua Nair
An ex-Royal Marine was told by doctors that he had 12-18 months left to live after initially believing that he was dehydrated or had a migraine.
James Greenwood, 42, who lives in North Wales, UK, with his girlfriend, said that he started to experience 'constant' headaches and dizziness back in May.
After seeing his GP twice over the next fortnight, he was told that his symptoms indicated that he was dehydrated or experiencing eye issues from looking at screens as a facilities manager for real estate giants JLL.
However, it turned out to be something more serious, with James attributing the perseverance during his health battle to his time in the Marines, and the 'commando training' he undertook, preparing him for any challenges he 'had to tackle in life'.
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The problems began on 24 May, when James started to feel dizzy during a conversation with his brother-in-law, eventually booking an appointment with his GP in early June as according to him, he 'had always had a clean bill of health'.
It was suggested that he may have been dehydrated or overdue an eye test, as he wears glasses and works a desk job.
Following a blood test and an electrocardiogram, where the electrical activity of your hear is measured, results came back with 'no concerns', and James went on his way, until 10 June.
“I was walking across town and it was like an out-of-body experience, everything around me slowed down which caused me concern,” he explained.
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A same-day appointment with his GP brought no progress, as he was told that his symptoms were indicative of migraines, though he wasn't satisfied with that outcome.
“I’ve never suffered with migraines in the past so I was skeptical.
“As with the first GP appointment, I was pushing for a scan of some kind – maybe it was a sixth sense or something but I just knew how I felt and I was trying to get some peace of mind more than anything,” James said.
The former Marine was given migraine relief medication and told to make an appointment by the end of the week if it didn't help, and just two days later, he woke up with a 'severe' headache, heading to A&E with his girlfriend.
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After being persistent about getting a scan, he was given a CT scan which revealed a three-and-a-half centimetre by three-and-a-half centimetre mass was found in the right temporal lobe area of his brain.
His situation then went from 0-100, as a neurosurgeon told him that his symptoms were consistent with a high grade tumour, and underwent brain surgery to remove it on 28 June.
On 8 August, he was told that it was a grade four glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer, which gave him up to a year and a half to live at most.
After a six-week course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy to try and improve his prognosis, he is looking at a month-long rest period after completing his final session on 19 September before starting intensive chemotherapy in October.
Despite the struggles he has been facing, James said that he finds the situation 'liberating', adding: “I think everybody’s probably guilty of taking people for granted, your loved ones, friends, family, but it’s had the effect of reconnecting me with certain old friends, I think it’s drawn the family closer.
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“It alters your perspective and it’s a bit cliched, but you’re trying to savour every moment.”
Further attributing his positive mindset to his time in the Royal Marines, where he served for five years when he turned 18, he explained: “It just instills in you that belief that regardless of what situation or scenario you’re faced with, you can get through it.
“When you’re thrown into that situation, it does resonate and it does make sense.”
James and his friends have also raised awareness for the health condition, running across the Edale Skyline in the Peak District, with the four raising over £14,000 since completing the 20-mile route on 21 September.
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Talking about the good deed, James said: “It’s always been one of my bucket list items to raise a fixed amount for charity over the course of my lifetime and the fact we’ve got to the total we have is absolutely incredible.”
The 42-year-old sadly admitted: “In all likelihood it won’t benefit myself, but further down the line for other people who might find themselves in this position, if there’s a bit more investment, development and knowledge around treatment, other people may reap the benefits of that.”
If you want to donate to James' JustGiving page, you can click here.