Home / Health / Optician's Find Reveals Rare Cancer in Young Man
Optician's Find Reveals Rare Cancer in Young Man
10 Aug
Summary
- Abnormal eye pressure led to discovery of rare cancerous growth.
- A 16-hour surgery removed 70% of the tumor entangled with nerves.
- The family is fundraising as Jake is unable to work due to treatment.
A 26-year-old man, Jake, is currently undergoing proton beam therapy after a rare cancerous growth was discovered behind his right eye. The condition was initially mistaken for an ear infection before an optician noticed concerning pressure, prompting an MRI scan.
Surgeons performed a 16-hour operation in October 2024 to remove approximately 70% of the tumor, but further procedures were necessary to enable radiotherapy due to its entanglement with nerves and the brain stem. Complications, including a head wound that failed to heal and leaking brain fluid, required additional hospital treatment.
Jake has been traveling to University College London Hospital for his proton beam therapy since July. The family is also fundraising to manage financial pressures, as Jake has exhausted his sick leave and cannot work while his partner is on maternity leave, caring for their 10-month-old daughter, Orla Ann Watts.
Future treatment steps will be determined by scans assessing the effectiveness of the radiotherapy. A fundraising page has been established to support the family during this challenging period.
