Jamie Datson, 16, from Bath, began suffering severe headaches and dizzy spells during his GCSEs in June 2025. Initially thought to be stress and an infection following a tooth extraction, his symptoms turned out to be caused by a brain tumour.
After emergency surgery at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, Jamie is now recovering and back home with his family. His mum Sue is taking part in the 99 Miles in November challenge in his honour.
Here is Jamie’s story, as told by his mother Sue...
In June 2025, Jamie started having headaches. My husband Ian and I thought it was down to GCSE pressure. He’d also just had four teeth removed for braces, caught a gum infection, and the weather was extremely hot. I took him to the doctor, who said it was likely just the infection.
Throughout the summer, the headaches continued. He’d have flare-ups where he felt dizzy, couldn’t focus, and his sight went blurry.
Jamie started his A Levels in September, but I knew something still wasn’t right.
The doctor wasn’t sure and suggested we keep an eye on it, but my gut told me otherwise. I decided to take him to the opticians after school on Friday, 26 September. When they looked behind his eyes, they were immediately concerned and said there was pressure on the optic nerve, likely fluid on the brain. They tried calling the hospital but couldn’t get through, so they wrote us a letter advising us to go straight to A&E.
We picked up my husband, and drove straight to the Royal United Hospital in Bath. After two CT scans, they found a mass on Jamie’s brain.
Hearing the word ’mass’ meant nothing to me at first, and then it hit me. This was serious.
That night, Jamie was transferred by ambulance to Southmead Hospital in Bristol at 11pm. He had an MRI at 1am. It was surreal, I couldn’t believe what was happening.
When Jamie asked the surgeon if he was going to die, we realised just how serious it was. We were distraught.
Doctors thought they might need to do emergency surgery because the tumour was blocking the fluid from draining from his brain. Jamie had another MRI which thankfully confirmed the tumour didn’t spread down his spine. On the Tuesday, they drilled a small hole in his skull to relieve the pressure, and for the first time in weeks, Jamie’s vision and headaches improved.
He came home for a few days before going back to the hospital for major surgery on the Saturday to remove the tumour. We had a lovely time those few days at home, everything seemed somewhat normal, yet in the back of my mind I knew that surgery was round the corner.
Friends from Jamie’s tutor group came to visit and brought him gifts and cards, it was so touching. But in the back of my mind I was scared and kept it hidden from Jamie.
When the doctors told us the risks of surgery and that Jamie could lose his sight, speech, mobility and may even die, I was horrified. But there were no other options, and whatever the outcome we would face it together as a family.
On the Friday evening we headed back to Southmead to prepare for surgery the next day. When they took him down to the theatre and we said goodbye, it was the worst moment of our lives.
It was an eight-hour operation, and those hours felt endless. My body just shut down, I had to sleep to cope.
When the surgeon finally called, he said the surgery was done and they’d got the whole tumour out. We burst into tears with relief.
Jamie recovered so well, within a week, he was home. At first, he was wobbly like a baby fawn. We had to help him up and down stairs, but each day he got stronger. Now, he’s talking about going back to school and catching up on his A Levels after the October half-term.
He didn’t need radiotherapy or chemotherapy because they managed to remove the whole tumour. He’ll have regular MRI scans, every three months moving to six, then annually for nine years. We’re incredibly grateful to the surgeons and the NHS. Their skill and technology saved his life.
That’s why I’ve joined Brain Tumour Research’s 99 Miles in November challenge. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.
We’ve already raised £1,200, and I’ll be walking and jogging with our dog, Tig. Walking 99 miles is nothing compared to what we’ve received in terms of care.
The surgeon said if I hadn’t trusted my instincts, things would have been very different. Jamie would have eventually gone blind from the pressure on his brain and possibly died.
Parents should always listen to their gut. Never settle if you feel something isn’t right. And please, go for regular eye tests, your eyes tell you so much.
Jamie’s a typical 16-year-old. He loves cricket, gaming, and dreams of becoming a pilot or air traffic controller. He’s doing A Levels in physics, geography, and computer science, and he’s obsessed with food again! We feel incredibly lucky.
I’ll never stop being grateful.
Sue Wheeler
November 2025
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 Jamie’s 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.
