A promising medical student's life was turned upside down after a casual FaceTime call during a takeaway order revealed a devastating health crisis.
A Fateful Call and a Rapid Decline
Alex Warwick, a 23-year-old medicine student at the University of Liverpool, first realised something was amiss in May last year. While placing a takeaway order and chatting to a friend via video call, his speech began to slur. His alert friend immediately spotted the issue. Shortly after returning home, Alex told his housemates he felt unwell.
The situation deteriorated rapidly. His concerned friends and flatmates rushed him to the Royal Liverpool Hospital. Doctors initially suspected a stroke, but after being transferred to Aintree University Hospital, Alex received the shattering news: he had a brain tumour and required emergency surgery.
A Devastating Diagnosis and the Fight for Treatment
Alex was diagnosed with a very high-grade glioma, treated as a glioblastoma. This aggressive form of brain cancer typically carries a prognosis of just 12 to 18 months. Surgeons managed to remove a substantial portion of the tumour, but Alex was told he would need follow-up chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
His parents, Ian and Indira, made an overnight journey from Weymouth to Liverpool, where Alex's distraught friends had to deliver the life-changing news. "The pressure on his brain was so high, so he had to have a temporary external shunt put in," Ian recalled. The family had to make the difficult decision to make that shunt permanent after his initial surgery.
Alex's parents relocated from Devon to Huyton to support him during his treatment, praising the incredible community support they received. However, after completing his standard NHS treatment plan, which included care at The Walton Centre and Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Alex received another blow: his tumour had shown regrowth, and chemotherapy alone had not worked well.
A Race to Raise £200,000 for Pioneering Care
With NHS options now exhausted, Alex's family has been advised to explore private treatment. They are urgently trying to raise approximately £200,000 for pioneering immunotherapy treatment available in Germany, covering the therapy, travel, and insurance.
A fundraising campaign has so far gathered a remarkable £58,000. "I have been amazed at people's generosity," Alex said. "Within about 12 hours we hit £10k. No matter big or small, everyone's contributions are amazing."
Despite the immense challenge, Alex, who has since finished his master's degree, is determined to regain a sense of normality. He aims to resume his studies in Liverpool later this year. "I really want to go back to university in September," he stated.
His close friend and fellow medical student, John Johnson, who has supported him from the first hospital visit, said: "He was just so bubbly and funny... I've got no issue in saying that he has had a massive impact on me." Alex continues to be supported by his three sisters, Elya, Isabella, and Katya, as his family fights for his future.
