Man, 31, Thought He’d Injured Himself Weight Training. His Pain Turned Out to Be Symptoms of a Heartbreaking Diagnosis

YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Sean Sweeney began experiencing symptoms, including muscle pain in his neck, in early 2022 and relieved the pain by exercising

• Months later, he discovered that his symptoms were actually a sign of a terminal diagnosis.

• Sweeney married his partner of 12 years, Lucy, before undergoing a nine-hour surgery for his diagnosis.

A 31-year-old British man who thought he injured himself while weight lifting was shocked to learn that his symptoms were actually signs of brain cancer.

Sean Sweeney, from South Yorkshire, was diagnosed with a high-grade brain tumor in July 2022, the UK charity said. Brain Tumor Research It was shared in a post on Facebook.

Sweeney he told the charity He initially thought he had injured himself while weight training after he began experiencing frequent headaches, muscle aches in his neck and tingling on his right side months ago.

He made several physiotherapist appointments at the time, but was later discharged after “they were unable to determine the cause of the pain”.

“It was alarming. I remember feeling frustrated and uneasy, thinking, ‘I don’t feel well,’ but I couldn’t explain why,” Sweeney said. “I was having trouble concentrating and the symptoms continued.”

Later that July, Sweeney suffered a sudden seizure in the early morning hours and was awakened by his partner of 12 years, Lucy. He was taken to Doncaster Royal Infirmary, where a junior doctor said a CT scan found a lesion on his brain.

“I felt completely numb. I didn’t cry or panic; my mind went straight to Lucy and my family,” he said.

Surgeons initially believed Sweeney’s tumor may have been low-grade, and he married Lucy before the surgery, but after undergoing a nine-hour craniotomy in November 2022, he was told he had a grade 3 astrocytoma, a more aggressive type of brain cancer, according to Brain Tumor Research.

He was also told that he only had 10 years to live. Daily Mail.

During the surgery, Sweeney also suffered an acute stroke, according to the charity.

“Because I was awake, I actually remember the moment when things changed. I could hear the psychologist telling the surgeon that my speech was starting to become slurred,” he said. “The next day, physiotherapists noticed that I had problems walking and one side of my face fell off.”

Sweeney said the experience was “scary” and that he recovered through rehabilitation and that “today you wouldn’t even know I had a stroke.”

The 31-year-old began five weeks of radiotherapy in January 2023, followed by 12 rounds of chemotherapy, which he completed in February 2024.

“It was incredibly difficult to tell my mother, Kathleen,” of her diagnosis, Sweeney said. “She was shocked and at first believed my surgery meant I was cured, and it took time and many difficult conversations for her to realize there was no cure for my tumor.”

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Sweeney is now focused on rebuilding his life.

“Two years later, he is back at work, cycling with his family and fundraising for Brain Tumor Research, sharing his story to give hope to others and support our vital research into aggressive brain tumours,” Brain Tumor Research said.

Sweeney added, “If there’s one message I would share with anyone facing a similar diagnosis, it’s this: Stay positive and try not to dwell on things that are out of your control. It’s not easy, but I truly believe a positive mindset can help you keep moving forward.”

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