A man who suddenly became "horny and aggressive" was later diagnosed with a brain tumour. Shaun Turner, 38, discovered he had a orange-sized mass on his brain in 2014 after he lost his sense of smell and eyesight.
Shaun also said he experienced personality changes. Shortly after his diagnosis, Shaun underwent an operation to remove the tumour in October 2014.
Shaun says there are still traces of cancer in his brain and is now monitored during regular scans. The family were hit by the disease once again in December 2018 when they lost Shaun's mum, Jill Turner, to a glioblastoma - a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumour. Jill was initially misdiagnosed with a mental breakdown and died just four months later.
Dad-of-two Shaun, a bosun at ferry company Red Funnel, from East Cowes, Isle of Wight, said: "I had personality changes. I'm normally very chilled and easy-going with loads of energy.
"The effects of the tumour made me really tired all the time, really horny and aggressive. In all honesty when I found out it didn't feel real. My entire family and friends were all so worried about it that I didn't feel able to show any weakness or that it fazed me.
"I had a positive attitude and genuinely believed I would be alright, but I was terrified inside. I believe there are very small traces left, which is what I had radiotherapy for in December 2020.”
At the same time as he started experiencing mood changes, Shaun was also gradually losing his sight and so his wife booked an eye test. That found an anomaly and led to a scan, which discovered the orange-sized mass on his brain. Shaun underwent the operation to remove the tumour and now requires regular check-ups.
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Shaun's brother, Daniel, 36, an electrician, also from East Cowes, said: “For the disease to have struck our family twice was shocking and we have asked doctors the likelihood of passing it onto our children, but they have said it is purely bad luck. My brother has had genetic testing and there is nothing to prove it is in your family gene – it’s just awful luck.
“The treatment my mum had in such a short space of time caused side effects including extreme fatigue and you could see how it was impacting her physically. Looking back knowing what we know now, we may have chosen a different treatment pathway.
“Supporting a charity that focuses on the research into brain tumours is vitally important so we can help find better treatment options and eventually find a cure for the disease. It’s too late for my mum, but for people like Shaun who are living with the disease, we must progress the research of brain tumours and bring it in line with advances in the treatment of other cancers.”
Daniel was among a team of nine cyclists who took on the 68-mile Isle of Wight Randonnée on Saturday, July 1, to raise money for the charity Brain Tumour Research. Dozens of cyclists completed the route around the island, raising more than £10,000 for the charity. In the UK, 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Dr Karen Noble, director of research, policy, and innovation at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are sorry to hear this has happened in Daniel’s family, but are grateful for all his fundraising efforts. Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age.
"To have these two diagnoses in the same family is an extremely rare occurrence, less than a one in a million chance. If we are to change the stark facts around survival of this disease, then we simply must invest more into discovery science – the route to a cure.”
