When Joshua Smith, 34, a machinist from Wrexham, began experiencing unusual symptoms earlier this year, neither he nor his wife Kelly Smith could have imagined the life-changing diagnosis that lay ahead. What followed was a whirlwind of medical appointments, uncertainty, and ultimately a diagnosis of glioblastoma. Now he and his wife, Kelly, are campaigning with Brain Tumour Research, calling on the Senedd to support the calls in our manifesto and do more for brain tumour patients in Wales.
Kelly, Joshua’s wife, tells his story…
In January, Joshua had a few days where Joshua felt quite spaced out – like brain fog – but we didn’t think anything of it at the time. Then one night it came on really suddenly. He had a severe migraine and said it felt like his head was going to explode. That lasted about 10 days.
On Monday 9th February 2026, I took Joshua to the GP, but they dismissed it and said there was nothing wrong. I remember saying there were red flags. Joshua hadn’t been to the GP since 2009, and for him to have 10 days of migraines just wasn’t normal. I pushed for a blood test and said we’d go private if we had to.
By Friday the 13th, I took him to A&E. They did some checks but said they weren’t concerned and sent him home with morphine, telling us to come back if it got worse. By 3am on the Saturday, I just knew something wasn’t right. I can’t explain it — it was instinct. Joshua even tried to go to work, but I said no, we’re going back. This time they did more tests, including a CT scan.
They called us in as a family and told us they had found a 4.5cm mass on his brain. Hearing that… you know something’s wrong, but you never expect that.
In a strange way, it was also a bit of a relief because we finally knew. He stayed in hospital, and on the Tuesday they told us it wasn’t cancer — they thought it was some kind of infection. That gave us hope. But then on the Wednesday, they came back and said they were sorry, but it was cancer. That was devastating. It felt like we’d been lifted up and then completely crushed.
Joshua, has been positive through everything. It’s been harder seeing his mum and dad upset. Everything just felt surreal. From that point, everything moved very quickly. We were referred to The Walton Centre.
The doctor told us Joshua would need surgery and that it was likely a glioblastoma. Hearing those words was terrifying.
Joshua had to sign consent forms acknowledging all the risks — that he could die, be paralysed, or not be himself afterwards. The surgery was scheduled for Tuesday the 24th of February. It took around two to three hours, and they managed to remove about 95% of the tumour.
When he woke up, the first thing he did was ring me and ask for a KFC Bargain Bucket. I said he could have whatever he wanted! Amazingly, he had no major complications.
The only thing he noticed was seeing what he described like ‘pixels’ — like when a TV signal goes funny — but they said that was normal and temporary.
Amazingly, he was home within three days. It’s incredible that someone can have brain surgery and be up, walking and talking within 24 hours. I think that almost makes it harder to process, because everything feels so normal when it’s not.
Joshua has now started radiotherapy and is about to begin chemotherapy. The treatment plan is six weeks of radiotherapy alongside chemotherapy, followed by further chemo after a break. He’ll have MRI scans every three months. We’re also looking into clinical trials and treatments abroad.
There are options out there that give people hope, but they’re not always accessible here, which is incredibly frustrating.
Joshua sets himself little milestones, things to look forward to. He watched the NASA launch and in July, and Joshua is taking me to feed giraffes. Those goals keep us going.
This whole experience has shown us how important hope is. Joshua’s story is still being written, and we’re holding onto every bit of positivity we can. That’s why I’m taking on 200k in May — to help fund research and give other families more options, more time, and more hope.
Kelly Smith
April 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 Joshua’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.
