I thought I just had a headache - but doctors say I've only got 12 months to ... trends now
A father has been heartbreakingly given 12 months to live after a 'stabbing pain' in his head ended up being brain cancer.
Mark Downey, 45, was struck with an excruciating headache while driving with his family to a holiday in Wales in September 2023.
The HGV driver, from Bolton, went to A&E after painkillers were not helping but left after he faced a 17-hour wait to see a doctor.
After visiting his GP at home, who referred him for an MRI scan, he was eventually diagnosed with glioblastoma, a type of fast-growing brain tumour that can carry a life expectancy of just 12 to 18 months from diagnosis.
Feeling 'too strong' to give up, Mr Downey and his partner of 23 years, Samantha Scott, 39, are now raising money to fund private treatment.
Mark Downey, 45, from Bolton, Manchester, pictured with his partner Samantha Scott, 39, was struck with an excruciating headache while driving with his family to a holiday in Wales in September 2023
Two days before their family holiday to Kinmel Bay in North Wales, Mr Downey had noticed he had a headache but didn't think much of it.
He knew something wasn't right when he experienced a 'stabbing pain' in the right side of his head while driving his family to Wales.
'The pain in my head was so sharp I tried to pull my head the other way because it felt like something was banging into it,' he said.
'I took painkiller after painkiller and the headache just did not go.'
The pain was so excruciating that it made the father-of-three sick.
Brain tumours can trigger personality changes, especially if it is located in the frontal lobe of the brain, which regulates personality and emotions. It can also cause communication problems, seizures and fatigue
Mr Downey was eventually diagnosed with glioblastoma, a type of fast-growing brain tumour that can carry a life expectancy of just 12 to 18 months from diagnosis and a biopsy revealed his tumour was 2.5cm wide
On the first day of the family's trip, he called 111 and was told to go to A&E.
But once in hospital Mr Downey was told it would be a 17 hour wait to see a doctor.
Mr Downey and Ms Scott decided to take the risk and drive home, with their son set to start secondary school that Monday.
The next day on September 4, he went to see his GP and he was sent straightaway for a brain scan at the Bolton Royal Hospital, which showed he had a bleed on the brain.
