The fun stuff!
On the 9th September 2011 I had brain surgery to remove a cancerous medulloblastoma tumour from my cerebellum that had grown to the size of cricket ball. Following discharge from hospital after a month, I entered into a course of intensive radiotherapy for six and half weeks. This really brought me to my knees, with low lights such as a wheelchair, up to eleven drugs a days, nausea, poor mobility, balance, co-ordination, hair and weight loss. In March 2012 I also had the pleasure of minor surgery to insert a VP shunt, which removed a swelling caused by surgery from the back of my head.
Instantly I went from being active rugby player to waking up in an Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU). The gym and any sort of exercise stopped for four months. I was losing the fight against nausea , I had lost two and half stone, my hair and my driving license.
However, I’ve loved training since about eighteen and I knew what I had to do. Friends would pick me up from my family home in and drive me to the gym for a workout. I would often be sick during a session, or we had to pull over when driving me home for me to be sick! Whilst all the drugs and radiotherapy had ended, the nausea remained as my oesophagus was burnt.
October 2012 was a real turning point for me, I had just passed a professional qualification at work, moved out of the family home and got my driving license back. My physical appearance quickly improved and so did my wellbeing.
What going through this period showed me is the importance of the strength and kindness of other people that helped me endure and move forward.
Email: benly_snipes@hotmail.com
