Stuart Hill, 62, a highways inspector for his local authority in Wales, had always considered himself relatively healthy despite suffering migraines every couple of months. What he and his wife Bev believed were routine migraine symptoms in fact masked a brain tumour that had likely been growing silently for decades. In April 2025, their lives changed overnight when Stuart was rushed to the hospital, where doctors discovered a mass on his brain.
Here is Stuart's story as told by his wife Bev...
I will never forget Tuesday, 15th April 2025. Stuart dropped me off at work that morning and picked me up again at around 7.30pm and we went to visit my parents. Stuart said he had a migraine and was experiencing flashing lights, so he took some pain relief and after some rest it eased a little. The following da Stuart still didn't feel right. Then on Thursday, 17 April his birthday, we travelled to Bristol for a two-night stay. Following a lovely evening, we went to our room.
That night, he came out of the bathroom and he couldn’t speak or raise his arm. That was the first proper sign that something was seriously wrong.
I thought he was having a stroke. I ran downstairs to reception and asked them to call an ambulance straight away.
By the time the ambulance crew arrived, his speech had started to come back, but they blue-lighted him to Southmead Hospital in Bristol where he had a CT scan. At around 3am, doctors came back and told us it wasn’t a stroke but they had found a mass. That was the start of it.
It was devastating, the worst possible news. We were absolutely petrified.
We were completely shocked. My first thought was, how are we going to tell our twin daughters, Megan and Jodie aged 24?
I went back to the hotel to tell the family and then returned to the hospital. Stuart’s speech came back, then went again, so they gave him steroids which helped. He ended up spending a week in hospital. He would have been home sooner, but because it happened over the Easter weekend there were no consultants available.
After the bank holiday, the Macmillan nurses came to see us, but at that point we still didn’t know what we were dealing with. Stuart had an MRI scan and they found no other traces of cancer in his body, as they initially thought it could be secondary cancer. The surgeon felt that because there was no sign of cancer anywhere else, it was likely to be a slow-growing tumour that he could have had for years.
They advised surgery to remove the tumour, but they were very honest about the risks of stroke, impairment, or death. I had such faith in the team in Bristol and asked if the operation could be done there instead of transferring Stuart back to Wales. Thankfully, the surgeon agreed.
We went home to Wales and then, three weeks later, we returned to Bristol for surgery.
Stuart was in theatre for seven hours and they successfully removed all of the tumour. When I saw him afterwards, he couldn’t speak. It was so upsetting to see him so poorly.
During that time, Megan was at university sitting her exams. It affected her terribly. How she got through them, I have no idea.
Stuart spent the next two weeks on the ward. We were told the tumour hadn’t grown into his brain but it was attached to the membrane and skull. They had to remove part of his skull and reconstruct it using bone cement.
By the weekend, he had another MRI and we were told there was some swelling, which was normal. Everything seemed fine. But on the Monday, we received the full MRI report and it showed that Stuart had suffered a stroke which was the cause of his loss of speech. The stroke was in the area responsible for speech and language. Ten months on, he is still struggling with his speech.
He also had a seizure and now takes anti-seizure medication twice a day, but that feels like a small price to pay.
When Stuart came home, we continued his speech therapy and cared for him ourselves. For a few months he struggled because it also affected his right hand. He’s lost the dexterity in that hand, but he is mobile and doing really well. He has come on leaps and bounds.
He now has routine scans every six months, which will move to annually. His first scan in October was all clear, which was such a relief. Doctors said he could have had the tumour for over 20 years and it grew by just a tiny millimetre and that’s what caused all this.
Stuart will now have to retire due to ill health as he is unable to manage his major duties.
We’re incredibly grateful that our story has a happy ending, because we know so many families don’t get that.
That’s why we want to give back. Megan is taking on the Swansea Half Marathon in June to raise money for Brain Tumour Research, and with the support of Jodie I hosted a fundraising event on Friday 27 February with activities, singers and some amazing raffle prizes. Together we raised £5,000.
For us, this has had a positive outcome, but we know that’s not the case for many others. More funding is needed for research, and we want to do our part to make sure other families can have an ending like ours.
If you’ve just received a brain tumour diagnosis, my advice would be to wait until you know exactly what you’re dealing with before thinking the worst. Otherwise, the anxiety can overwhelm you. Wait until you have the full facts before getting too stressed and worried.
Bev Hill
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 Stuart'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.
