'I thought I'd overdone it at the gym - but I had a brain tumour'

When he started suffering muscle pain and headaches, Sean Sweeney thought he had picked up an injury while weight training at the gym.

But the 31-year-old from Doncaster found the cause was much more significant. It took a seizure for him to discover he had an aggressive form of brain cancer.

In November 2022, Sean underwent a nine-and-a-half-hour awake craniotomy to debulk the tumour at Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire Hospital.

During the procedure he suffered an acute stroke - but he eventually recovered enough to take part in a fundraising cycle ride in aid of brain tumour research.

Before the tumour was discovered, Sean had physiotherapy sessions to try to tackle what he believed was the effects of a torn ligament in his neck.

The sessions had no impact on the pain and his concerns grew.

In July 2022, Sean was taken to hospital after having a seizure, and was diagnosed with a Grade 3 astrocytoma, a brain tumour.

"When I was told they'd found a lesion on my brain, I felt completely numb," said Sean.

"I didn't cry or panic – my mind went straight to Lucy (whom he would later marry) and my family."

Following surgery, Sean said his speech was slurred.

"The next day I had problems walking and one side of my face had dropped," he said.

"Later, I was told I'd had a stroke during surgery.

"It was frightening, but thankfully, with rehabilitation I recovered and today you wouldn't know I'd had a stroke at all."

Sean has now returned to work as a senior account director at a marketing agency and is using his experience to highlight the urgent need for increased funding for research into brain tumours.

He and his father-in-law, Carl, have already raised thousands of pounds from taking on Sir Chris Hoy's Tour de 4 cycling challenge together.

Sir Chris announced in October 2024 he had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer which had spread to his bones.

Sean and Carl raised more than £2,500 for the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at the University of Plymouth.

They are planning a similar but longer 100km route next year.

Sean summed up the difference family support had made to him.

"Carl drove me to so many of my radiotherapy sessions and, in those journeys, our bond really strengthened.

"Even in the darkest moments, we somehow found a way to have a laugh."

That partnership allowed him to stretch himself, said Sean.

"Completing it (the Tour de 4) together was a massive milestone for me.

"It was the first endurance event I'd ever finished.

"I couldn't quite believe I was capable of doing it after everything my body had been through."

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