Key Highlights
- Stu Thomas, a 58-year-old rugby player, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer.
- The diagnosis came after he experienced a life-changing seizure in June last year.
- Thomas has raised over £6,000 for The Brain Tumour Charity and My Name’5 Doddie Foundation through walks and other events.
- Inspired by Lewis Moody’s interview about his Motor Neurone Disease diagnosis, Thomas participated in another walk.
From Rugby to a Life-Changing Diagnosis
Stu Thomas, a 58-year-old former rugby player from Kent, England, has been diagnosed with an aggressive and incurable brain cancer. The news came as a complete shock to both Stu and his family.
“A bit of a shock was an understatement,” Thomas explained. “It was disbelief really. You couldn’t quite marry the physical fitness and lack of symptoms with the diagnosis.” Stu had been playing rugby for the last five decades, training five times a week since he was a youngster at Tonbridge Juddian.
The Seizure and Diagnosis
On a random Monday in June last year, Thomas suffered a life-changing chronic seizure. Leading up to this incident, he did not experience any symptoms but noticed that he couldn’t quite find the right words when talking. “I struggled to remember what it was,” Stu recounted. “It seemed odd but not enough for me to worry.”
After noticing these signs, Thomas’s condition worsened rapidly. Around a week later, he was transferred from Maidstone Hospital to King’s College Hospital in London, where he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive and Grade 4 cancerous brain tumour.
Survival Rate and Personal Journey
The average survival time for this type of cancer is around 12 to 18 months. Only 25% of people survive more than one year, with only 5% surviving beyond five years. Despite the grim prognosis, Thomas remains optimistic and continues his journey.
“Throughout the treatment and in the last few months, you’ve got really no indication apart from seizures that show you are unwell,” Stu shared. “Every new thing that happens to you, a little bit of earache and you think, is that connected? I feel tired, is that connected?”
Charity Walks and Inspiration
This time last year, Thomas completed a walk for The Brain Tumour Charity, raising around £18,000. He says he was inspired by the recent BBC interview with sports legend and former England rugby captain Lewis Moody, who revealed his diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
“I could see the same emotions in his explanation or talking about the diagnosis and what he was going to do,” Stu recalled. “It took me straight back to the same scenes I went through last year.” Inspired by Moody’s courage, Thomas decided to participate in another walk.
Recent Walk for Charities
On Saturday, October 18, nearly £6,000 was raised for both The Brain Tumour Charity and My Name’5 Doddie Foundation – a research charity dedicated to MND. More than 30 people joined Stu on his journey from Maidstone West Station to the Tonbridge Juddians Rugby Football Club.
Stu continues to coach the girls team at the rugby club, where his 14-year-old daughter Phoebe plays. His story serves as a testament to resilience and hope in the face of adversity, inspiring many through his actions and words.
