Charles Sealey, 35, discovered he had a brain tumour in 2025. He was newly married when he received a diagnosis of a subependymoma, a rare type of tumour. Following treatment, Charles has now returned to work and is looking forward to the arrival of his first child.
Charles tells his story...
I grew up on a farm in Gloucestershire, always motivated by working, always active and on the go. My parents called me ‘Wriggle’ because I couldn’t sit still. Despite wanting to be a rugby player, I went to Loughborough University to study chemistry and moved to London in 2012, right after the Olympics. It was an exciting time, full of new experiences and opportunities.
I began my recruitment career working my way up through the industry, gaining experience across multiple roles and organisations. Early on, I had the opportunity to work closely with Mark O’Brien, founder of Warman O’Brien, a biometrics recruitment consultancy. He became both a mentor, a trusted professional influence and a good friend. In 2020 I joined him to help grow the business and have since progressed to the position of Director.
I went to the gym often and regularly walked my dog, Honey, a loving golden retriever who kept me active and joined me at the office. In July 2025, I married my wonderful partner Annabel, and shortly after our honeymoon, we were excited to find out we were expecting our first baby.
A week after returning from our honeymoon, I felt a migraine after having a haircut. I didn't think anything of it because I'd had migraines in the past.
I noticed my flip-flop was falling off my foot and couldn’t move my leg, but assumed it was a gym injury. When the migraine got worse that night, I phoned emergency services, and they took me to Kingston Hospital for a stroke assessment. My symptoms didn’t correspond, so over the next few days I was asked to return for further investigations, including MRI scans and imaging of both my chest and head, to establish what had happened. At that point, I still hadn’t considered that it could be a brain tumour.
One week later, while on holiday in Mallorca with family and friends, I got a call from the hospital saying I didn’t have a stroke, but a mass was found on my brain. I flew back to the UK for tests that revealed a lime-sized tumour pressing on my brain stem, which needed to be removed at St George’s Hospital’s specialist neurological centre. I also needed further MRI scans to confirm that this wasn’t a secondary tumour that had spread from elsewhere in my body. Thankfully, it was localised to my brain. The doctors were cautious about identifying the exact type of tumour and explained that a definite diagnosis wouldn’t be possible until a biopsy had been performed.
When the risks of surgery were explained to me, I was most afraid of dying and leaving Annabel to bring up our unborn son without me. I worried about how she’d cope and just wanted her to be okay.
I’ve always been someone who supports others. I didn’t panic about my health; I focused on being there for my family.
After an operation lasting about six hours, I had several days in an intensive care unit to recover from the surgery. The NHS staff were amazing, their care and attention helped me through this challenging time. A biopsy confirmed that my tumour was a benign subependymoma, which has been a huge relief, and at the end of January, I received the best news that there has been no regrowth, and that the tumour will not return in the future.
Because the tumour was benign, I didn’t require radiotherapy or chemotherapy. However, four days after returning home, I developed hydrocephalus– a condition where pressure doesn’t align in the brain and cerebral spinal fluid is not processed normally.
I collapsed at home and have very limited memory of the weeks that followed. I spent 10 days back in the hospital, during which time my cerebrospinal fluid began leaking from my surgical scar. Initially, the hope was that lumbar punctures would help stabilise the hydrocephalus. However, after a month of weekly lumbar punctures with no improvement in symptoms, the neuro team knew something else needed to be done. This led to a shunt being put into my brain to control the pressure. Whilst they wanted to move quickly, we faced a delay in treatment due to me developing drug-induced hepatitis from the medication I was prescribed for the chronic hiccups, which occurred after my tumour removal. This was a setback that no one had predicted would happen, and it was quite disheartening to have another complication in the mix.
I lost 20kg and couldn’t go to the gym as I was bed-bound. I’ve lost muscle mass due to a low-protein diet, leaving me extremely weak. I’ve had to learn how to walk again and focus on gradual recovery. The responsibility of having to take my dog out helped me push myself to get stronger. I’m currently feeling more stable and recently returned to the gym, but my energy levels are low, and I need to take it slow. I have good moments followed by awful periods; I’m learning to take each day as it comes.
My mental health has also been impacted by this experience. At times I struggled to formulate sentences, couldn’t complete tasks, and became impatient.
I wouldn’t have coped without Annabel, she has been so supportive and encouraging, she’s been my rock. I am looking forward to the arrival of our baby boy in April and getting active again.
I am also grateful to Mark and Caroline O’Brien, the founders of Warman O’Brien, where I’ve worked for more than five years. They have been immensely helpful and understanding, and I feel lucky to have so many people around me who genuinely care.
Working in life sciences recruitment has given me an awareness of the importance of medical and clinical development, but having to deal with a brain tumour diagnosis, surgery and recovery challenges, has given me a deeper understanding of the impacts of brain tumours.
My experience has prompted Warman O’Brien to partner with Brain Tumour Research and raise funds for vital research. There’s an urgent need for more studies into the complexities of brain tumours and their impacts. To be able to directly give something back and give hope to patients and their loved ones means so much to us.
Charles Sealey
February 2026
One in three people in the UK knows someone affected by a brain tumour. This disease is indiscriminate; it can affect anyone at any age. What’s more, brain tumours continue to kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet, to date, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.
Brain Tumour Research is determined to change this.
If you have been inspired by Charles’ story, you may like to make a donation via www.braintumourresearch.org/donate or leave a gift in your will via www.braintumourresearch.org/legacy
Together we will find a cure.
