A 21-year-old university student who thought he was suffering from a severe hangover was later diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer. Ben Cornforth, now 24, initially dismissed his symptoms after a night of drinking, believing he had simply overindulged.
What Started as a Headache
Ben was relaxing at his university flat in Nottingham when he began to feel unwell. He struggled to follow the television and found himself unable to speak. 'I felt totally out of it and dizzy. When I went to the toilet, the room felt like it was spinning and I fell over,' Ben recalled. He told his girlfriend, 'I don't want to alarm you, but I can't talk.' Despite his concerns, he tried to hide the issues, attributing them to a hangover.
Hospital Admission and Diagnosis
Ben was taken to hospital and kept overnight. Doctors informed him that there was something on his brain that wasn't supposed to be there. An MRI two days later revealed a benign tumour that medics suspected he had had for most of his life. He was given anti-seizure medication and discharged, but after two more seizures, he was readmitted. A follow-up scan showed activity in the tumour, necessitating major surgery.
Awake During Surgery
In May 2023, Ben underwent a six-hour craniotomy, during which a portion of his skull was temporarily removed to access the brain. He had to be awake for the procedure. 'They said they'd take as much of the tumour as possible, but they couldn't take anything off my brain, so they got as close to the brain as they could. They would prod a piece of the tumour with the logic that if I stopped talking, they couldn't cut that,' Ben explained. A biopsy later revealed that the tumour was stage 4 brain cancer.
Treatment and Recovery
Ben underwent six weeks of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, followed by a year of daily chemotherapy tablets. He acknowledges that he is not out of the woods yet. 'My whole process going through treatment and with recovery was to always have things as normal as possible. I know I'll need more treatment in future, but for now I am off treatment and feeling happy and healthy. I try to make the most of every day,' he said.
Fundraising and Advocacy
Ben has since joined the Teenage Cancer Trust's Youth Advisory Group, which helps shape support for young people. He also completed the London Marathon, raising more than £10,000 for the charity that supported him during and after treatment.
