A family have spoken of their shock after their dad's personality change turned out to be an early sign of a fatal disease.
Alexandra Lewis, 38, and her two siblings Nick Lewis, 43, and Victoria Jarvis, 45, first noticed that their father Philip Lewis, 73, from West Bridgford, had become withdrawn and quiet at the start of January 2021.
They initially thought it might be because he was worrying about his wife, Janet Lewis, 71, who was undergoing treatment for advanced breast cancer.
But the children of Mr Lewis, who was the founder and chairman of West Bridgford Table Tennis Club, were in "total shock" after he was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumour shortly after he suddenly started to struggle to find words.
Alexandra, who lives in Widnes, Cheshire, and runs a dance school, said: “Dad’s whole personality changed.
"On January 27, mum was admitted to the City Hospital in Nottingham and, the next day, we noticed dad was struggling to find the right words and was a bit confused when speaking, so we contacted his GP who thought he might have suffered a stroke.
“He was referred to the stroke clinic at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham the next day. He had an MRI scan which revealed he actually had a frontal lobe brain tumour.
“I was in total shock and just couldn’t believe it. I kept thinking ‘how could this happen?’”
Mr Lewis had surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible. He then began radiotherapy at City Hospital on March 16 – one day after his wife, Janet, died in the same hospital from advanced breast cancer.
After suffering three strokes, Mr Lewis moved into The Grand Care Centre residential home in West Bridgford.
Mr Lewis died four weeks later in hospital, on July 21, 2021, with his son, Nick, by his side.
To remember her dad, Alexandra is marking Brain Tumour Awareness Month by taking part in Wear a Hat Day on March 25 in support of the charity Brain Tumour Research.
“I’m doing this to remember dad and to raise awareness of this devastating disease," she said.
“It was frightening how quickly he deteriorated. In the end, he wasn’t like my dad and he didn’t know who I was.”
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.
The Wear A Hat Day fundraiser has generated more than £2 million for Brain Tumour Research to help fund the fight against the disease.
Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Unlike many other cancers, brain tumours are indiscriminate.
"They can affect anyone at any time. Too little is known about the causes and that is why increased investment in research is vital.
“We’re really grateful to Alexandra for taking part in Wear A Hat Day as it’s only with the support of people like her that we’re able to progress our research into brain tumours and improve the outcome for patients like Philip who are forced to fight this awful disease."
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