A Stretford dad who thought his numb mouth was a dental issue has revealed how he was given a devastating diagnosis – and just 18 months to live.
Jamie Kehoe, a 31-year-old from Stretford, went to his dentist with the issue, only for them not to find anything wrong. The former marketing manager’s symptoms soon saw him begin stumbling, dropping his keys and struggling with his balance.
When his wife Hannah noticed he was repeatedly tripping over their dog, Jamie took her advice and decided to see a doctor. He said: “I remember it was a very distinct pins and needles sensation that I initially thought was a dental problem. Obviously, the dentist found nothing.
“It was only when I started to stumble out of the shower and started to drop my keys that my wife really pushed for me to see a doctor.”
GP referral and diagnosis
Jamie’s GP became concerned following an examination and referred him straight to Salford Royal Hospital in 2024. A scan revealed a mass on his brain stem, which a biopsy later confirmed a grade-four glioblastoma, a fast-growing malignant brain tumour.
“The initial assessment with the GP didn’t leave much room for guessing. Even though the next step was a scan it was quite clear something was amiss… It all went over my head.
“I remember the overwhelming feeling I had was that everything had closed in. Like those holidays you always planned for the future were now a thing of the past,” he said.
Given an initial prognosis of around 12 to 18 months with treatment, Jamie’s tumour was linked to a very rare genetic mutation and its position on the brain stem meant it could not be surgically removed.
Treatment and wedding
Following his diagnosis, Jamie underwent six weeks of radiotherapy at The Christie in Manchester. He noted that the radiotherapy ‘has taken parts’ of his vision and taste.
“You wake up with 20 per cent and go down from there. My cancer location being in the brain stem means it's quite physical - simple things like getting showered or going upstairs are 200pc harder,” he said.
As a result of his diagnosis, Jamie and Hannah brought their wedding forward and married in November 2024, with them honeymooning in Cornwall that winter. Jamie later joined a trial of a new cancer drug, which he took from March 2025 until August this year.
Jamie was able to return to a more normal life for around eight months after the first radiotherapy shrank the tumour. Additionally, he and Hannah underwent IVF and welcomed their son Elliot, now six months old.
Poetry and exhibition
Sadly, Jamie's symptoms returned around the time Elliot was born and a scan showed the tumour had grown again. He underwent a second course of radiotherapy, which finished in May.
He recalled: “Everything I've done since the diagnosis is stuff I wanted to do. I'm not fighting my fate. I'm just refusing to sit around pretending it'll all be fine. Bringing the wedding forward wasn't romantic, it was a deadline.”
With him struggling with his speech, Jamie has turned to poetry to document life with terminal brain cancer. Proceeds from his debut collection, I Used to Write Stories, will go towards brain tumour research.
Jamie said: “I wanted to do two things. First, show cancer for what it is: sloppy and cruel. Nobody tells you how undignified it is. Second, show how fragile life is, and that it doesn't end when you're told the worst possible news.
“There's texture left, if you choose to embrace it, however hard things get. Poetry suited that. It's quick, efficient and powerful, and when you're borrowing time, you don't waste it,” he said.
Jamie will exhibit his poetry at Stretford's Unofficial Museum on October 17 and 18.
