Emil’s Brain Tumour Story

Hear Emil tell his story of his brain tumour diagnosis when he was 9 and how he is finding the strength to go through it again.

‘To anyone that has cancer, don’t be scared because you can fight it. If it’s painful you have your parents, family or friends by your side. ‘

My diagnosis

I first started getting symptoms when I was almost 9 in late 2019. This included double vision, headaches which I had every day, and my concentrating wasn’t as good as it used to be. I do remember the whole experience and remember being very shocked, but I was strong and knew I could get through this.

I was in Year 4 and Mum picked me up from primary school to take me to the GP and an eye specialist in Stratford to investigate why I had double vision. As soon as they saw the scan they could see that something wasn’t right and at the back of the eye. Immediately I was sent to the hospital in Coventry. An ambulance from Birmingham Children’s Hospital came to pick me up and I had an operation the next day.

I had my first MRI scan and they found a tumour in my brain. They operated and found a big piece which they manage to completely remove; they checked with another MRI scan.

A few weeks after this I had to have a 2nd operation before I was able to start radio and chemotherapy at the Quenn Elisabeth Hospital in Birmingham. This meant that every day for 2 months we had to travel there from home, which is near Stratford-upon-Avon.

Dr Adamski looked after me and once I completed my radiotherapy, I was able to start chemotherapy.

After I completed chemotherapy, they did another scan and found a cyst, it had to be removed to avoid a possible blood cloth. By this point I was 11 and this was my third operation.

My least favourite part where the operations and the MRIs. I found them scary because they were very loud, I was in there for a long time and worried what they might find next.

I have an MRI scan every 6 months now and see the doctor two weeks after that.

Family support

I have an older sister and a younger brother who was about two years old at the time of my treatment. When I had my radiotherapy my family came along, every day, to support me.

My mum stayed with me the whole time while my dad was at home looking after my sister, brother and our family bakery. One day I want to work for my dad, I am proud that he moved my grandad’s bakery from Poland to the UK, it is lovely to continue this tradition.

At least I had a 5-year break!

I have already gone through it; I am used to it. If radiotherapy works and then I am finished again.

I felt like I had to go to the toilet all the time on my birthday in September 2025. The next day my symptoms got worse and my mum took me back to the doctors. We were told that a second cancer spread from all the chemo and radiotherapy.  I just said, ‘At least I had a 5-year break’.

Back in Birmingham A&E hospital I had a catheter put in to empty my bladder and they took out 1.5 litres. This was followed by a full body MRI scan to see where the cancer was. They suspected stomach or pelvic floor. The result showed two big blocks of cancer next to each other, nearly as big as apples, on top of each other next to my pelvis. Dr Gerard Millen suggested I start on chemotherapy. That way we could reduce the cancer before deciding if I have surgery or radiotherapy next. Finally, it was decided that I was to have specialised radiotherapy.

Today, I am 3 cycles away from finishing radiotherapy and I have been catheter-free for 2 months now. In my last scan we saw that the cancer has shrunk to 2x2cm.

School and friends

I don’t go to school at the moment and do online learning. It has been a challenge to get more learning to do at home. I do my best. I am in Year 10 now and am focusing on my GCSEs. I chose the core subjects, food technology and IT, this will help me when I work for my dad.

I do have the best friends though, I don’t see them all the time, but they all gathered up when I was unwell to give me lots sweets. One of my friends comes to visit every few weeks. They really look after me and make me happy, we love to game together.

I really enjoy photography and I would love to be taught how to DJ, it would be cool to have a party and DJ for my friends.

Emil, March 2026

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