As time passed, one man’s family began to notice a change in his way of being. At first, they thought it was due to stress. However, the reality was different: had one serious illness that finally it would cost your life.
A citizen of United Kingdom died from a aggressive and inoperable cancer which initially manifested itself through alterations in your personality. The case was made public to raise awareness among the population about this health problem.
The British charity Brain Tumour Researchdedicated to brain tumor research, shared the story of a man who lost his life 11 months after receiving a serious medical diagnosis.
According to the non-profit organization, this person was called Henry Barringerhad 35 years and resided in England. Was married and father of one son.
Henry’s wife, Rebeccasaid in an article published on the Brain Tumor Research page that, in 2022began to notice a change in your behavior. In this regard, he mentioned that he showed himself sarcastic and aggressive when responding.
«Little by little, his sarcasm and bitingness got worse»
In conversation with the British network BBCRebecca and the rest of the family explained that the man went from being someone “adorable” y “fun” a become rougher. Before, according to the story of his loved ones, he had a great sense of humor and loved life.
First they believed that man he was stressed. but then They realized it was something much more serious..
«Little by little, his sarcasm and bitingness were getting worse until reaching its peak in May 2023while we were on vacation in France with some friends and our son,» the woman clarified through the website of a non-profit organization.
An image of the man, with his wife and son. Photo: Henry Barringer/Via Brain Tumor Research.At that time, according to Rebecca, They argued more than usualto the point where his friends noticed it. «There was no filter in what I said and I didn’t recognize the man I had married.«, he expressed.
Shortly after returning from France, Henry began to suffer headaches and vomiting. «He had to sit on a dark room so that the headaches will be relieved«his wife recalled.
In June 2023, Henry visited his primary care physician, who prescribed him medication. However, It had no effect and soon his health worsened.. «He had a hard time keeping down any food. and almost a month passed like this, which was a difficult adjustment for someone who had never been sick,» Rebecca said.
In the middle of that month, the man underwent various clinical studies, including a computed tomography. Following these examinations, the doctors confirmed that the patient had glioblastoma.
What is glioblastoma
Glioblastoma is the most aggressive and common primary malignant brain tumor in adultsaccording to information from Brain Tumor Research. One of its symptoms is changes in personality.
«It belongs to the family of gliomas, tumors that originate in the glial cellswhich support and protect nerve cells in the brain. Unlike other gliomas, glioblastomas are very aggressive tumors and fast growing that infiltrate the surrounding brain tissue, making them especially difficult to treat. They also present a high probability of reappearance after treatment,» the entity indicated.
The British citizen was diagnosed with glioblastoma. Photo: Henry Barringer/Via Brain Tumor Research.In Henry’s case, his glioblastoma was inoperable due to his location in the brain. To try to combat it, he needed to undergo sessions of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The doctors told the family that the patient’s life expectancy ranged between 12 months and 10 years. Despite the bad news, his wife and loved ones they didn’t lose hope: they trusted that their youth and its healthy lifestyle would be decisive for your prognosis was more favorable.
The initial treatment achieved improvement in the picture of Henry and, even, for a time, his personality returned to normal. However, at the beginning of 2024, the cancer got worse.
«He was very brave and never gave up»
«Everything fell apart when Henry complained of headaches again, which confirmed that the tumor had grown. Cancer too had spread to the spineand although they gave him more radiotherapy, the tumor continued to grow rapidlywhich caused him loss of mobility in the legs«Rebecca stated.
The parents of man, desperatethey searched other treatment options abroad. «They paid over £4000 of their savings to send a sample of Henry’s tumor to USA and perform genetic testing, something that apparently is not offered in this country. Unfortunately, his condition worsened before the results came in«said his wife.
In May 2024weigh your resilience and to constant support of his family, Henry passed away. «Throughout his illness, he remained determined to continue with his life in the most ‘normal’ way possible and worked up to six weeks before of dying. Was very brave and never gave up«I just wanted to live,» Rebecca said.
He was very loved by his family and friends. Photo: Henry Barringer/Via Brain Tumor Research.After his death, his family decided to donate money to the Brain Tumor Research organization. In turn, his friends They started a solidarity campaign in support of the same cause.
«Henry was offered very few treatment options, and it seems that there were not many advances in the way brain tumors are treated compared to other types of cancer,» said his wife, who hopes that there will be advances in the field.
On the other hand, the woman stated that she shared the story to raise awareness, motivate others to get checkups if similar symptoms appear and support patients with brain tumors.
«I witnessed firsthand the unpredictability of brain tumors and how things can change in an instant. It is important that people make the most of the time they spend with their loved ones,» he reflected.
