In a poignant turn of events, David Phillips, a 41-year-old process operator from Barry, South Wales, was recently diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour after experiencing unusual symptoms that led him to perceive bubbles in the floor. Until August 2024, David was managing intermittent headaches, which he initially dismissed as benign. However, the peculiar hallucination, which he described as the linoleum flooring appearing to bubble, prompted urgency when his condition began to worsen, leading to significant weakness in his hand and arm.

Concerned for her husband’s health, Kirby Phillips, aged 38 and an occupational health administrator, advocated for David to receive medical attention. This determination resulted in David being referred to the emergency medical unit at the University Hospital Wales, where he underwent diagnostic imaging that confirmed the presence of a mass in his brain—a grade 4 glioblastoma. On August 21, 2024, just weeks after his initial symptoms appeared, he received the grim prognosis of 12 to 14 months to live with treatment, and only three months without.

David was advised he would require an awake craniotomy—a surgical procedure to remove as much of the tumour as possible, along with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Reflecting on the devastating diagnosis, Kirby remarked, “Time stopped and it was very fuzzy. We knew he wasn’t well but you never expect something like that is going to be the problem. We were just heartbroken.”

Having been engaged for eight years but delaying their wedding plans to save for a mortgage, the couple made a decisive choice to marry amidst the turmoil. They organised a small ceremony on October 19, 2024, surrounded by 20 close family members, including their children, Madison, 20, and Mila-Rose, 11. Kirby said, “One of the first things he said was ‘I want to marry you’. It was something happy and lovely to focus on. It was a lovely distraction.”

Shortly after their wedding, David underwent a successful craniotomy on September 4, during which surgeons removed a portion of the tumour. Following the surgery, he began a six-week regimen of chemotherapy and radiotherapy aimed at extending his life. Currently, the Phillips family is exploring additional treatment options, including modulated electro-hyperthermia, a therapy that uses heat to destroy cancerous cells, which costs approximately £3,000 a month. As a result, they have initiated a fundraising campaign, which has amassed over £13,000 from generous donations received from the public.

In conjunction with fundraising efforts, David has been accepted onto an NHS clinical trial that involves a subsequent surgery to remove more of the tumour. Following this operation, a small medical device will be implanted to allow for targeted drug injections aimed at repairing DNA damage within the tumour cells, offering further hope in their fight against this aggressive cancer.

Kirby expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support they have received, stating, “We can’t believe everybody’s kindness and generosity. It is a testament to how much people think of David and want him to get better. I am completely blown away.” The couple remains resolute in their endeavour to seek treatment and continues to advocate for awareness regarding the symptoms David experienced before his diagnosis.

Source: Noah Wire Services