Book recounts story of Galway dad who defied the odds

John Walsh, 39, has published Headcase, the story of his medical adventures which began on his emigration to Germany to begin a dream job.

A native of Liskeavy, three miles outside Milltown, John was 23 when he began working for British Airways in Bremen.

Just weeks later he began to feel unwell, beset with thundering headaches which were diagnosed by successive doctors as panic attacks.

Eventually after a colleague went with him to the hospital to demand answers, he was diagnosed with liponeurocytoma, a form of brain tumour so rare that only 40 cases have been reported in the world since it was first classified in 1978.

John was given a 50:50 chance of making it through his first surgery to remove the tumour located in a precarious spot at the base of the skull beside the brainstem.

His recovery proved very difficult as the pain in his head was excruciating and he had to relearn how to walk and even talk.

He returned to Germany but gave it up shortly to return to live and work in Galway, where he met his wife to be, Edel Tobin.

Five years after his operation, the tumour returned. This time when John went under the knife, the surgeon discovered other growths not visible in the MRI so he was put on a round of radiation for six months.

The day before their wedding he was given a double dose in order to attend the ceremony.

After suffering from chronic back pain, further tests revealed he had developed tumours that were compressing his spine and had to undergo surgery on his lower back three separate times.

After surgery became too risk, John underwent CyberKnife, a very high-tech alternative to conventional radiation or surgery. He became only the 30th patient in Ireland to receive the high doses of radiation delivered to tumours with extreme accuracy.

Despite all the operations and treatment the tumours remain.

“If asked how I’m feeling these days, I tell people I feel like a house on fire. Everyone around me is manning the hoses, but as soon as they manage to extinguish one fire, two fires break out elsewhere. In the past two years especially, it always seems to be an emergency situation,” he writes frankly.

“We don’t have any roadmap for the future, and we don’t know what is going on day to day now. Constant challenges are being thrown in the way especially since 2014. The interventions are getting more frequent and the time lapse between each intervention is getting shorter. The consultants have made it clear that my options are dwindling.”

Through fertility treatment, the couple went on to have two children, Fírinne (5) and Ríain (3). Nine months ago Edel gave birth to Saorla, who was conceived naturally.

They live in Salthill. John has worked with the HSE since 2004 throughout his illness even managing to get a degree in addiction studies. He currently works for the child and family agency, Tusla.

For John, one of the most effective coping strategies throughout has been support groups and group therapy sessions.

“When you feel as if no one else understands, it’s therapeutic to be around others who are in a similar situation. There’s a camaraderie that develops very quickly in this kind of unique clique. You discover that everyone else feels the same gnawing anxiety, and many are in the depths of a black depression,” he reflects.

“There’s shorthand between everyone and we all nod in understanding when someone discusses those long nights when the cold terror of dying keeps you awake. Tackling anxiety and always living on a knife-edge are issues that are very much to the fore in cancer support groups.”

However, the book is certainly not all doom and gloom. John insists that illness has changed him for the better.

“It took that diagnosis of a brain tumour to level me and bring me back down to earth.

The cumulative effect of so many medical blows has possibly resulted in lowering my self-esteem even further. There’s a certain amount of guilt and self-blame that goes with recurring illness.

“But it’s fair to say, I’m an entirely different man, and probably a much nicer one, than the man I was then. I have far more empathy with people and far more patience with people in general. I never rush to judge anyone now because there are so many things we don't know about other peoples’ lives.”

Despite travelling to the States twice for a second opinion, John has been told definitively his treatment in Galway and Dublin is the best he can receive.

“I’m battle scarred and battle hardened, but I’m still here, and still loving life. They say I’m running out of options now, but I’m still not out of options. Even though the outlook has been very grim many times in the past, I’ve not only survived, but I’m still enjoying a good quality of life,” he writes.

“Two years ago, I could barely move and was days away from being in a wheelchair when Cyber Knife surgery saved me. Something that wasn’t an option even five years ago is now keeping me alive so you never know what other revolutionary treatment is just around the corner.

“Living with illness is not easy, in fact, it’s been a huge struggle and seems overwhelming at times, but mostly we manage to live a normal life. Every day is a good day when I can get out of the bed and get the kids ready and go to work.”

Headcase is on sale in selected book stores and via Amazon priced at €14.99. A contribution from the sale of each book will be donated to Cancer Care West.