One Year Since Brain Surgery: Ten Things I Didn’t Expect…

5:30am, Wednesday 10 September 2025.

A year ago today my dad and I got up, left our accommodation in Dulwich and started walking.

It was about 30 minutes to King’s College Hospital.

Neither of us had slept particularly well.

At the end of that walk, surgeons were going to open up my skull and remove a tumour from my brain. At the time it felt surreal, and looking back on it now it still does.

Looking back over the past year, there are plenty of things I expected. Brain surgery. Radiotherapy. Chemotherapy. Scans. Anxiety. What I didn’t expect were all the other things that came along with them.

1. I didn’t expect to recover so quickly

I went in for surgery on Wednesday 10 September 2025, two days later, on Friday 12 September, I was back home. I hadn’t anticipated feeling so well so soon after brain surgery. In fact, I felt surprisingly normal – barring the rather obvious hole in my head.

2. I didn’t expect to run again so soon

I thought I best be sensible, so waited ten days before going for my first post-op run on 22 September, a meagre 3.32km.

3. I didn’t expect that tiny run to mean so much

I wouldn’t usually record a run that short on Strava, but this time I did and I am glad I did, I got an an absolute flood of lovely comments that made my day!

4. I didn’t expect chemotherapy to be as manageable as it was

Aside from a brief spell after the chemotherapy and radiotherapy combined, when I was wiped out for a couple of weeks, I lived a surprisingly normal life ever since my surgery. I certainly didn’t expect to be able to carry on living anything resembling a normal life while having chemotherapy.

5. I didn’t expect my friends to be so important

Quite simply good friends are what make life worth living, and I am proud to say I am lucky enough to have many of them.

To all of my friends who have stood by my side over the past year, provided love and support and kindness and compassion, you don’t know how important you have been – thank you.

“Without friends, no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods.”

Aristotle

6. I didn’t expect my dad to become my chauffeur

The best of these friends is my dad, a man who has also become my personal chaffeur whilst I can’t drive.

Every week day for six weeks he drove me to Maidstone hospital for ten minutes of radiotherapy, alongside many other medical appointments and lifts elsewhere (I have also had many other chaffeurs to running, to Crossfit and various other places and I really appreciate everyone of you).

He is kind and selfless, and a wonderful person (although I do get nervous when, at the age of 85, he climbs on the roof to remove moss from the gutters).

7. I didn’t expect to run a half marathon during treatment

On Sunday 8 March 2026, halfway through my chemotherapy, I ran the Paddock Wood Half Marathon (quite slowly!).

I would never have thought I’d be doing that while undergoing treatment when I was waiting for my brain surgery six months earlier. But as the date approached, I felt remarkably well, so I thought: why not?

8. I didn’t expect to become so obsessed with MRI reports

I live my life in three monthly blocks at the moment, as that is how often I have MRI scans. I never thought I would become so adept at reading medical reports (although I must admit ChatGPT does help).

9. I didn’t expect to still be so completely myself

A year on, I never would have expected my life to have barely changed despite such a serious diagnosis. Of course, things have changed – I have regular scans, I can’t drive, and I now know far more about MRI terminology than I ever wanted to – but fundamentally, I’m still me.

Whether I’ll still be in the same position this time next year, who knows. But for now, I’m making the most of it.

10. I didn’t expect to be considering whether I could hold 4min km pace for my one mile reps.

On 10 September 2025, I woke up worrying about surgeons cutting into my skull and delving into my brain to remove a tumour.

Today, on 10 September 2026, I woke up worrying about whether I could hold 4min/km pace for my 1600m reps at Paddock Wood Athletics Club.

And, frankly, that is a much better thing to worry about.