Scottish swimmer Archie Goodburn, 25, has shared an emotional update during a BBC Breakfast appearance, speaking about his plans for the future and the 'stressful' time he recently faced. The athlete and campaigner was diagnosed with three inoperable brain tumours two years ago and has been calling for greater investment in brain cancer research.
Return to the red sofa
Archie made his return to the red sofa on Saturday, 17 October, joining presenters Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty, where he provided an update. He started: "I'm really excited about the promises being made by the Prime Minister this week."
He explained he had been diagnosed with a low-grade glioma which started growing more rapidly, and the "aggressive behaviour" from it led to his blood-brain barrier breaking down two years ago. He managed to secure access to a treatment that was not initially approved in the UK, a decision that has since been reversed.
Campaign for brain cancer funding
Earlier this year, Archie made an emotional appeal to Prime Minister Andy Burnham on BBC Breakfast. Discussing his battle to access treatments, he continued: "Brain cancer is obviously very difficult to treat, and nowhere in the world has cracked it, no where is curing it. All forms are currently incurable. But what we are seeing is other countries getting longer survival, other countries getting access to trials which patients here would be really excited to try."
He went on to say: "That's the frustration, but that's also one of the promises that the Prime Minister and Health Secretary have committed to changing this week, so we're really excited about that."
Personal impact and emotional plea
Opening up about the personal impact, he explained: "The personal side is, you want to go to bed knowing options are available to some extent. So if the treatment that I'm on right now fails, there's an option afterwards. And right now, there isn't really."
He concluded with an emotional plea: "I would have to undergo radiotherapy which would massively compromise my cognitive health, I'm not sure I would be able to continue in the workplace in the way that I am now. It's really that reassurance and being able to plan for the future rather than living in fear of it."
Archie said he hoped the government would honour its pledges "urgently", and felt "reassured" by the communications he had received thus far. "It really seems like they are following through with these promises, and they do want to position the UK as a global leader in this," he said.
He added: "There's obviously the selfish perspective as well, this is going to help me. There's a trial abroad that I would love to have access to that isn't in the UK. So as well as hopefully impacting the lives of thousands of others around the UK, I'm hoping that these three promises will really make a difference to my life as well, and allow me to look forward to the future and plan to raise a family and live the best life possible."
He further commented: "It's going to impact me, I really have been fighting for my life and the last few months have been very stressful but there's been lots of people around me to support."
Looking forward to the future
As the interview drew to a close, Archie appeared to struggle to hold back his emotions, his eyes glistening as he reflected on recent hardships. Presenter Naga asked him: "After knowing you've achieved this, I just wonder it's the small things in life, that perhaps when you're so stressed you fail to enjoy. Just the little things like going out and seeing the sun shining and thinking, I can appreciate that a little bit more now. Is there anything that's changed in that way, just that little sense of relief?"
Archie responded: "I think to be honest I have to say thanks to my girlfriend. I'm planning a really nice Saturday and Sunday with her this weekend, because it's been a bit of an up and down time since my last time on the sofa. Definitely looking forward to appreciating a little bit more time with her and friends around me."
BBC Breakfast airs from 6am on BBC One and iPlayer.
