In March 2024, Spencer, nine-years-old, began experiencing a lazy eye. Concerned about his vision, his mum, Char, took him to two appointments at his optician who referred Spencer to Great Western Hospital in Swindon. It was there that a CT scan revealed a large shadow on his brain.
Here is Spencer’s story, as told by his mum, Char…
It all began in March 2024, when I noticed Spencer had developed a lazy eye. He was also dribbling and had started complaining of headaches. At first, I assumed it was something minor, I had a lazy eye as a child too, so we visited the optician twice, but nothing concerning was found. As Spencer’s symptoms persisted, I took him back for a follow-up, and this time the optician, concerned about the ongoing headaches, referred us to Great Western Hospital in Swindon. At that stage, they suspected he might need laser surgery.
We went to Great Western where Spencer had a scan on his eye and some tests. Then, everything changed.
On March 19, while I was at work, I got a phone call from Great Western. They said they’d found a shadow on Spencer’s eye and needed him to come back urgently. My stomach dropped. Spencer underwent a CT scan and he had various tests. They were particularly concerned about his impaired balance.
They asked to speak to me alone, and I was taken into a room. That’s when the doctor told me Spencer had a very large brain tumour.
I just broke down. I thought my little boy was going to die. I never imagined this.
From that moment, everything became a blur. We were told Spencer would be transferred to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where specialists would take over his care. Telling Spencer was heartbreaking, I don’t think he really understood. He kept saying he had a brain tumour, as if trying to make sense of it.
At the John Radcliffe, an MRI scan confirmed it was cancer, a medulloblastoma which is one of the most aggressive childhood brain tumours. Doctors told us that Spencer needed surgery to remove the tumour, it felt like the bad news just kept getting worse. We were devastated.
The hardest part was signing the consent forms for brain surgery, knowing the risks included brain damage and even death. But we had no choice.
They harvested Spencer’s sperm to preserve future fertility, as his treatment could cause sterility. That’s something no parent wants to think about for their child.
Spencer went through 14 hours of brain surgery at the John Radcliffe, which removed nearly half the tumour. Just four days later, he had a second operation which lasted nine hours to remove most of the remaining tumour. Around 10% remains due to its sensitive location.
After surgery, Spencer was in ICU for three weeks. He was on morphine, hallucinating and in pain. I felt completely helpless, wanting it to be me instead of him.
After that, he was moved to the children’s ward where he stayed for two months. He had daily physiotherapy to rebuild his strength.
We were then transferred to University College London Hospital (UCLH) for proton beam therapy. This meant staying in London for six weeks. I was able to stay with Spencer thanks to the incredible charity Lanterns, who support parents of children receiving treatment far from home.
During this time, Spencer’s bowels became inflamed from medication and he lost his appetite. The treatments really took a toll on him. Still, he kept smiling. He never complained, not once. Through everything, he’s just been incredible.
After a two-month break post-radiotherapy, Spencer began nine months of chemotherapy. Again, he got very poorly, lost more weight, and barely ate. But he kept going.
To our relief in April 2025 Spencer finished active treatment and rung the bell, a huge milestone.
Spencer will be monitored with routine MRIs for the next 10 years, but his latest scans are stable, which is the best news we could hope for.
This October, Spencer is going on the trip of a lifetime to Disneyland Florida thanks to Dreamflight, a charity that gives unforgettable experiences to seriously ill children. He’ll be sharing a room with another boy he’s already connected with and is both excited and nervous.
Spencer has also just started Year 8 at Rodbourne Cheney Primary after being out of school for most of a year. His class made him cards, and his nurse visited his school to help explain things to his classmates. He’s being phased back in gently and supported all the way.
Physically, Spencer still faces challenges. He now wears an eye patch to help with his vision and the right side of his body was affected by the surgeries. He now uses a wheelchair and, as he was right-handed, he has had to learn how to write with his left hand. He continues to undergo physiotherapy as part of his recovery.
Despite all this, he’s curious, smart, and determined. He always asks questions and wants to understand every detail of his treatment. He loves Roblox gaming, like most kids his age.
My advice to every parent is to trust your instincts. If we hadn’t pushed for answers, Spencer wouldn’t be here today.
To help raise awareness and to support other families like ours I took part in the 88 Squats a Day in July Challenge to raise funds for Brain Tumour Research.
We need more awareness and more funding. Just 1% of national cancer research funding goes to brain tumours which is not enough.
Spencer’s journey is far from over, but he’s shown strength beyond his years. I couldn’t be prouder of him.
Char Humphries
September 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 Spencer’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.
