'I couldn't remember our holidays before diagnosis left me numb'

A lecturer who started to be "short-tempered and forgetful" found out the sudden change to his behaviour was down to a brain tumour. Richard West, 65, who adored his job as a marketing and communications lecturer at the University of Westminster in London, found himself losing all enthusiasm for his work when he returned to the classroom following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in 2021.

Richard confessed that he became more depressed, short-tempered, antisocial and so forgetful he "couldn't remember a single trip" he'd ever taken with his partner of 12 years, Tina, 66. Worried that it was something serious, Richard visited his GP and was diagnosed with 'lockdown depression'.

However, a year later, an MRI scan at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in High Wycombe revealed he had meningioma - a non-cancerous brain tumour- and he underwent emergency surgery at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford that same month. Doctors were unable to remove the tumour completely as it was close to vital centres.

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In January 2024, Richard had a check-up MRI and was told the residual tumour had grown a couple of millimetres. Although he remains in a "stable condition", Richard has started a six-week course of radiotherapy to keep the cancer at bay and in January next year he hopes to host a music event to raise funds for Brain Tumour Research.

Richard, a part-time worker from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, said: "Having survived prostate cancer in 2020, to be diagnosed with a brain tumour and to have had a stroke, I feel like I shouldn't be alive - but here I am. A brain tumour diagnosis is a horrible thing to go through.

"It's completely changed my outlook on life and I'm more accepting of things and tolerant. Now I want to raise awareness of brain tumours. To bring it to the attention of more people so that we can drive investment towards research into the disease."

In 2021, Richard sought medical advice after noticing changes in his personality.

He said: "Deep down, I knew something wasn't right. I'd been a lecturer in London for more than two decades and although I loved my job, I returned with no enthusiasm. My GP was sympathetic, but thought I was one of the scores of patients suffering from 'lockdown depression'."

Despite being prescribed anti-anxiety medication, Richard's condition didn't improve and he suffered a "psychological breakdown" just before the start of a new term.

"I couldn't face the pressures and mentally, I simply couldn't function," he confessed. "Things got worse and more obvious when I was out with my partner, Tina, one evening and we got talking about holidays.

"Suddenly, I couldn't recall a single trip we'd ever taken. It was a very scary moment."

In June 2022, Richard was sent to a stroke clinic at Queen Elizabeth Hospital for an MRI scan. He was diagnosed with a grade 1 meningioma - a benign brain tumour - on his frontal lobe.

Meningioma is the most common type of adult primary brain tumour that develops in the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord - with the five-year survival rate for grade I meningiomas being approximately 85-95 per cent.

"I was numb with shock," he admitted. "But also I felt a mixture of feelings, including relief that there was something that could explain the way I'd been acting. All I could think of was 'how long have I got?'".

Richard underwent an eight-hour operation to remove the growth at John Radcliffe Hospital. Despite the surgery's success, surgeons explained the tumour was close to vital centres and "couldn't be fully removed". Two years later, Richard received the "devastating" news that the tumour had grown a couple of millimetres.

"After surgery, I immediately felt better," he said. "The pain and stiffness in my muscles and joints went away. I could walk, run, go to the gym and it was like having a new life."

He added: "I returned to the hospital in January 2024 for a check-up MRI after I had an 'episode'. The vision in my right eye became blurred and I couldn't read or make sense of words. We made it to the MRI centre and doctors explained what had happened."

Richard has now been given a six-week course of radiotherapy and the tumour remains stable.

He said: "As frightening as my diagnosis was, it was a relief to understand what had been causing my symptoms. I've come to learn that brain tumours can be complex and they often come with side effects.

"When I found out about Brain Tumour Research, I instantly clicked with their vision and the fantastic work they do behind the scenes to find kinder treatments for brain tumour patients."

In January 2026, he plans to organise a music event to raise money for Brain Tumour Research Charity.

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: "We're grateful to Richard for his ongoing commitment to supporting Brain Tumour Research. Unfortunately, his story is not uncommon.

"One in three people knows someone affected by a brain tumour. And they are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age."

To donate to Brain Tumour Research via Richard's Walk of Hope visit his fundraising page.