A Belfast American Football team will host an emotional final home game of the season for their star player who was forced to retire after surviving a brain tumour.
The Belfast Trojans, the reigning champions of American Football Ireland’s Premier Division, will dedicate the game to Neil Graham, 30, was diagnosed with an oligodendroglioma brain tumour in September 2020.
Neil is considered to be one of the best line-backers in Irish American Football history and has won five national championships with the Trojans, representing Ireland in three international games.
He first realised something was wrong in 2018 when he had a reoccurrence of ADHD, which he had when he was younger.
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Neil said: “I was driving, and my mind suddenly got flooded with thoughts. I went to see psychiatrists and psychologists to work through it. They said I had very high anxiety and depression.
"I was prescribed ADHD medication which worked for a while, but then it wasn’t so effective. I then started to have episodes of absence seizures. I’d be talking and would suddenly stop, then 40 seconds later I would carry on as if nothing had happened. It was like I’d been put on pause.”
In August 2020, Neil had a "full blown" seizure. He was taken to Ulster Hospital, where he was told that he had epilepsy but he was not convinced by the diagnosis and sought private medical help - an MRI scan found a growth on his brain.
He continued: "When I was told I had a brain tumour, everything became a blur, and I had an anxiety attack. It was earth-shattering. A 29-year-old should not have to consider their mortality."
In September 2020, Neil had the whole tumour removed at Ulster Hospital and then had radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
"As soon as it was removed, the ADHD and all of the intrusive thoughts vanished. It felt amazing to have a quiet mind after so many years," he added.
The Trojans have selected Brain Tumour Research as their charity for the year and are donating 10 per cent of the ticket sales of all of their home games to the charity. After having to retire from the sport he loves, Neil is now an assistant line-backer coach for the team play local rivals the Belfast Knights on July 2 in their final home game of the season at Deramore Park.
Hassan Jaafar, 34, played alongside Neil for the Trojans and is now club treasurer.
He said: "Neil was part of the most feared defensive unit in the country. He’s always been one of the best, so the news was devastating for all of the team.
"It felt so bad when we knew that Neil wasn’t going to play again. We need to fund research to help others who are facing this devastating disease."
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet, historically, just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to it.
Brain Tumour Research is the only national charity in the UK singularly focused on finding a cure for brain tumours through campaigning for an increase in the national investment into research.
Neil added: “The support from the team is absolutely amazing. Brain tumours are so poorly funded, and treatments have not changed for years. More needs to be done to improve peoples’ life expectancy and, ultimately, find a cure.”
Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research said: "We’re really grateful to Neil, Hassan, and all of the Belfast Trojans, as it’s only with the support of people like them that we’re able to progress our research into brain tumours and improve the outcome for patients like Neil who are forced to fight this awful disease.
“Unlike many other cancers, brain tumours are indiscriminate. They can affect anyone at any time. Too little is known about the causes and that is why increased investment in research is vital."
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