A Bromley dad spent three months in intensive care after catching COVID - just two weeks after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Carl Davison was diagnosed with a low-grade meningioma in December 2020, after suffering a seizure while watching TV.
The 64-year-old said: "I stayed in hospital over Christmas to ensure my anti-seizure medication had kicked in.
"I was told I had a meningioma and would be contacted by King’s College Hospital who would ‘most likely take you in and whip it out’.
"Because the doctor sounded so blasé about it, I wasn’t very worried as I didn’t know how serious it was and regarded it as just one of those things.
"Anyway, I didn’t get a chance to dwell on it because within two weeks I had COVID and was admitted to hospital again and ended up in intensive care for three months."
In September 2021, Carl underwent surgery to remove the tumour at King’s College Hospital, and was discharged after just two days.
READ MORE: Bromley mum set for charity run after son’s brain tumour
Mr Davison said: "The following 18 months were really up and down for me as I suffered bouts of severe depression and even entertained thoughts of suicide.
"I couldn’t work due to long-COVID, I couldn’t drive because I’d had a seizure and was constantly fatigued."
Carl was prescribed anti-depressants, and he remains on anti-seizure medication.
The 64-year-old's health has turned a corner since December 2023, with his annual MRI scans coming back all clear, and him feeling "considerably better".
Carl's son, Callum, will be participating in a challenging ultra marathon for his dad, to raise money for Brain Tumour Research.
The event, Race To The Stones, is a 100km journey through Oxfordshire and Wiltshire, on July 13 to July 14.
Callum said: "When Dad was in hospital, I was allowed to visit him on the ward once, in a gap between his comas.
"It was the height of the pandemic, so I knew they weren’t letting me in there just to keep him company.
"Dad was told before each coma that, because of how bad his condition was, he probably wouldn’t wake up.
"But he did make it out, even though he had to go straight back in to have his tumour removed."
To support Callum’s fundraising, visit his Just Giving page at justgiving.com/page/callum-davison-1705420049792.
Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: "We’re so sorry to hear what Carl has been through.
"Sadly, one in three of us knows someone affected by a brain tumour, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002.
"We’re determined to change this but we can’t do it alone.
"We’re really grateful to Callum for taking on the Race To The Stones ultramarathon as it’s only with the support of people like him that we’re able to progress our research into brain tumours."
Brain Tumour Research is calling for an annual national spend of £35 million to improve survival rates and patient outcomes for brain cancer, in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.
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