A dad-of-four who thought he had coronavirus had been diagnosed with inoperable brain tumours.
Now, two years on from his heartbreaking diagnosis Matthew Ellis, 33, from Netherfields in Middlesbrough has continued to beat the odds.
The dad first received the life-altering news after he went to A&E with what he and his family assumed was Covid, reports Teesside Live.
He says that he showed symptoms similar to covid, however, doctors instead informed him that he had multiple inoperable brain tumours.
Every day is now a battle for him and his family, but he says they are determined to make the most of what time they have together.
Unfortunately, in recent months Matthew has seen his condition worsen considerably.
His wife Lauren Ellis, 28, a homemaker, has said: "He has had quite a lot of seizures lately and last week he had been complaining of headaches so we rang the ambulance but they weren't even going to take him into hospital.
"Even though Matthew had said it felt as though there was a tumour right at the front of his head and it was ready to pop."
Eventually making it to the James Cook University Hospital A&E department, Matthew had to wait while doctors reviewed his scan.
It was there he found out that he did in fact have a large tumour on the front of his brain, and other smaller tumours.
Opening up about the aggressiveness of Matthew's cancer, Lauren said: "Melanoma spreads so fast, he had to have surgery last week but when they went inside the tumour were actually bleeding on his brain. He's had to have 40 staples in his head and he's lost all his hair because of the scars.
"When they removed it they actually nicked the part of his brain which controls his foot and his leg, the feeling is starting to come back but sometimes it just goes completely."
Matthew's family previously set up a GoFundMe so that they could take Leo, 10, Lola, 9, Luca, 5 and little Lorena, 1, on what could have potentially been their last family holiday, to Primrose Valley and Rainton Sands. This year Matthew's mother has set up a fundraising page with the hopes of raising £5,000 in order to help him fulfil his bucket list and treat himself to something he would like to do.
Due to his diagnosis, Matthew had to leave his job as a general operative at the Teesside biomass plant which added to the family's stress. He is forever grateful for all the donations that he has received over the years, he added: "I used to have a high-paying job and going from that to a pip from the government is a really big difference.
"So I am really grateful for all the continued support, I don't at all want to sound greedy. It has helped us a lot."
If you would like to donate to Matthew's GoFundMe then click here.
The early brain cancer symptoms in adults
- Persistent or severe headaches, which may be worse in the morning
- Changes to vision, including blurred or double vision and abnormal eye movements
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Balance problems or dizziness
- Seizures or fits
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Speech difficulties
- Memory problems
- Nausea or persistent vomiting, especially when not accompanied by diarrhoea or a high temperature
- Persistent tiredness or fatigue
- Numbness or tingling in extremities
- Loss of taste and smell.
