A brain tumour patient has put together a guide to dealing with radiotherapy so that fellow patients know what they can expect.
Sam Suriakumar, our Supporter Ambassador, has shared a video on his blog, Walk With Sam, to help relieve some of the anxiety and fear around embarking on the treatment that uses high-energy radiation to destroy cancer cells in brain tumours, side effects of which can include hair loss, nausea, headaches, sore skin, oral issues and, most commonly, fatigue.
In his video, entitled Take a closer look: Radiotherapy for brain tumour patients, Sam said: “I’ve put together this video to walk you through the process of radiotherapy for brain tumour patients. There’s a lot of unknowns, there’s a lot of uncertainties, which I know brain tumour patients fear and feel. And having walked through the process myself recently, I just wanted to take away some of those anxieties and help fellow patients, fellow families, get through this process as best as possible.”
Dad-of-two Sam, from Surrey, speaks from personal experience, having been diagnosed with a low-grade glioma in February 2020 after suffering a seizure on the train on his way home from work.
A scan last July showed his tumour had grown and he began chemotherapy, having already had surgery and radiotherapy.
In his guide packed with helpful tips and advice, 38-year-old Sam explains what radiotherapy is and how it works, from the first oncology meeting, to being fitted for the mask, to the process of actually having the treatment and coping with the side effects.
The recruitment consultant and part-time musician, who ran the TCS London Marathon in aid of Brain Tumour Research last year, has raised more than £40,500 to find a cure.
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