WARNING: Graphic photographs of operation stitches. Nicholas Wade, 27, had a seizure in the middle of the night
A 27-year-old athlete was diagnosed with a brain tumour after suffering a seizure in his sleep. Now, he is learning to walk again and even aspires to be the world’s best pickleball player.
Nicholas Wade experienced the seizure in the middle of the night, but fortunately, his wife, Beah Wade, 26, is a nurse and called an ambulance straight away. He finally awoke in the hospital and said he had to pinch himself, checking it wasn’t a dream. Doctors then sent him for an MRI scan to see what had caused the seizure. “I felt the fittest I have ever felt in my whole life. I was training for a tournament that week. I had zero symptoms. I went to sleep one night and had a seizure in my sleep,” Nicholas said.
“First of all, I didn’t think it was real. I had to check myself to make sure it was real and I wasn’t dreaming. It then started hitting me that if I had a seizure in my sleep, something was seriously wrong. I was really scared in that moment – that was the first time I had been in hospital for anything.”
Sadly, the MRI revealed a mass on his brain, which medics believed to be a brain tumour. In the months following, further biopsies confirmed this was a benign glioneuronal tumour – a group of rare brain tumours that contain a mixture of both nerve cells and glial cells.
While doctors said this had been present since birth, Nicholas promptly needed an operation to remove it. “One of the hardest parts was after the operation when I waited for the biopsy results,” he said.
“It must have taken six months for them to confirm what type of tumour I had. Luckily, my operation was successful, and doctors were able to remove the entire tumour. I don’t require any further treatment, which was a relief.”
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Due to the location of the tumour on his right frontal lobe, Nicholas spent one month relearning how to walk, shower, and feed himself again. He said his mental health suffered as a result, but he is now back on the court, aiming to become the world’s best pickleball player.
Nicholas continued: “The biggest thing for me was my mental health. The tumour shifted who I was as a person. I knew who I was before the surgery, but after it, I lost myself.
“I was unable to shower myself, feed myself, or stand up for a while after the surgery. I would start by standing on my feet for a second, then a few seconds, gradually until I could stand for a minute.
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“There’s a huge stigma with brain tumours that you won’t be able to achieve great things after surgery. I’m here to change that stigma, to be a beacon of hope and an inspiration, showing that after a brain tumour, I can still achieve anything I want and chase my dreams.”
In light of Nicholas’ experience, Piers Townley, Celebrity Manager at The Brain Tumour Charity, said: “We’re delighted to have Nicholas’ support as one of our High Profile Influencers, a vital awareness role for the work we do.
“Find out more via our website www.thebraintumourcharity.org”
