A medical student who had 50 doctor appointments over several years was repeatedly told his symptoms were due to stress, only to be diagnosed with a grade 4 brain tumour after a seizure. Alex Warwick, 22, a fourth-year student at Liverpool University, experienced stroke-like symptoms including facial drooping, fatigue, and weakness in his left hand. Despite multiple visits to GPs, sleep specialists, and neurologists, no scan was performed.
His father, Ian Warwick, said the family was reassured by medical experts that the symptoms were caused by exam stress or health anxiety. Alex was even prescribed cognitive behavioural therapy. The tumour was only discovered after a severe episode last May, when Alex had dinner with friends and suddenly developed stroke-like symptoms. Friends rushed him to hospital, where he suffered seizures that could have been fatal.
Emergency brain surgery revealed a cancerous, aggressive, grade 4 tumour with a typical prognosis of 12 to 18 months. Ian Warwick believes that if Jess's Rule had been in place, the outcome might have been different. Jess's Rule is an NHS England patient safety initiative launched in September 2025, requiring GPs to review a diagnosis if a patient presents three times with the same or escalating symptoms.
Alex, now speaking about his experience, said his symptoms were temporary and would resolve after sleep, which led doctors to dismiss them. He hopes sharing his story will raise awareness of Jess's Rule and encourage doctors to take repeated symptoms seriously. 'Even if something is uniquely rare, that should not rule it out,' Ian Warwick added.
