Steve Taylor, a 57-year-old Somerset resident, never imagined that an ordinary day in July 2024 would mark the beginning of the most difficult chapter in his life. Alongside his wife Helen, Steve went out to vote in the General Election, only for his world to be shattered shortly after.
Following their visit to the polling station, the couple headed to a nearby pub for lunch. It was there that Steve suddenly felt unwell. Helen, sensing something was wrong, went to get the car, leaving Steve momentarily alone. He tried to alert someone to his discomfort but soon collapsed into a severe tonic-clonic seizure, hitting his head on the fall. A former nurse dining at the pub promptly rushed to his aid.
Paramedics and even an air ambulance arrived swiftly, racing Steve to Weston General Hospital. A CT scan revealed a brain mass, leading to a referral to Southmead Hospital in Bristol, where Steve was diagnosed with glioblastoma—an aggressive, incurable brain tumour in his temporal lobe.
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Looking back, Steve recalls experiencing dizzy spells and odd sensations months earlier, which he dismissed as low blood sugar due to dieting. Still active and traveling, he had no idea a serious illness was unfolding.
Faced with stark choices, Steve underwent a grueling nine-hour surgery, braving risks like neurological damage and even death. Before surgery, he thoughtfully left a letter for Helen, preparing for any outcome. Thankfully, the procedure was successful, and Steve soon faced six weeks of intense radiotherapy and chemotherapy, followed by a 15-month course of chemotherapy tablets.
Determined to fight, Steve adopted a strict health regime, cutting out alcohol, refined sugars, and processed foods, while taking 70 to 80 supplements daily. His life now revolves around three-monthly MRI scans, living “from scan to scan” with all the associated anxiety.
Remarkably, Steve experiences no major neurological or cognitive impairments, and he remains grateful to maintain a fulfilling life. He hopes his story helps change perceptions about brain tumours—an illness that affects more than 100,000 people in the UK and is the leading cause of cancer deaths in men under 70 but receives just 1% of national cancer research funding.
Inspired by stories of others, Steve emphasizes the power of positivity in managing his condition. His family has been his pillar of strength, especially Helen’s deep research into treatments and his niece’s husband, Nathan, who ran a half marathon to raise awareness and funds for Brain Tumour Research.
Nathan, who lost a close friend to the disease, shares: “Watching Steve fight through treatment and losing David so young has made me more determined to support research that can change lives.”
Steve and the campaigners call for a national investment of £35 million annually to improve brain tumour survival rates to be on par with cancers like breast cancer and leukaemia.
“Brain tumour research is desperately underfunded and awareness is vital,” Steve stresses. “Anything that advances understanding and treatment can make a huge difference for thousands of people like me.”