Joshua Smith, a 34-year-old machinist from Wrexham, Wales, was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour after doctors repeatedly dismissed his symptoms. His wife, Kelly, said she felt “red flags” were being missed as she pushed for further assessments.
Symptoms dismissed by doctors
In January, Joshua began experiencing what Kelly described as “brain fog,” followed by an excruciating migraine that felt like “his head was going to explode.” The pain lasted for days. Despite multiple GP visits, they were told there was nothing to worry about. Kelly took him to A&E in Wrexham, but he was discharged with morphine and told to return if symptoms worsened. The next morning, Kelly insisted he return to hospital, where a CT scan revealed a 4.5cm mass on his brain.
Initially, the couple was told the mass was not cancer, but the following day they received the devastating news that it was a glioblastoma, a fast-growing brain tumour. The typical prognosis is 12 to 18 months.
Referral and diagnosis
Joshua was referred to The Walton Centre in Liverpool, where specialists confirmed the diagnosis. Glioblastoma is the most common high-grade primary brain tumour in adults, with around 3,200 people diagnosed each year in the UK. About one-third survive beyond 12 months.
“It felt like we’d been lifted up and then completely crushed,” Kelly said.
Surgery and recovery
On February 24, surgeons removed about 95% of the tumour. Despite risks including paralysis, personality changes, and death, Joshua’s recovery was remarkably quick. “When Josh woke up from surgery, the first thing he did was ring me and ask for a KFC Bargain Bucket,” Kelly said. “He was walking and talking within 24 hours and was home within three days.”
Joshua completed six weeks of radiotherapy alongside chemotherapy and is expected to continue treatment. Kelly noted, “It’s incredible, but it almost makes it harder to process because everything looks normal when it’s not.”
Impact on family plans
The diagnosis has forced the couple to put long-held plans on hold, including starting a family and travelling in their self-converted campervan. “Our dream was always to have children,” Kelly said. “At the moment, those plans have had to be put on hold while we focus on Joshua’s treatment, but we still make the most of every opportunity to create special memories together.”
Campaigning for more research
Joshua and Kelly are supporting Brain Tumour Research during Glioblastoma Awareness Week, calling for greater government investment, more clinical trials, and improved access to emerging treatments. The charity’s manifesto for Wales notes that no brain cancer patients were recruited to clinical trials in Wales between 2019 and 2024.
Kelly raised over £2,000 for Brain Tumour Research by walking 200km in May, supporting work at the University of Nottingham’s Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence. “There are options and emerging treatments that give families hope, but they aren’t always available here in the UK,” she said. “That’s incredibly frustrating… We need more options, more treatments and ultimately a cure.”
Dr Karen Noble, Brain Tumour Research’s director of research policy and innovation, said Joshua’s story reflected the “devastating reality” faced by many families and urged increased investment, more trials, and fairer access to whole genome sequencing to help patients find suitable studies and treatments.
