The harsh confession of a young British swimmer: “I have three inoperable brain tumors”
“Six weeks ago, my life experienced a profound change when I was diagnosed with three brain tumors.” Thus begins the writing that British swimmer Archie Goodburn, 23published on his Instagram account to reveal the reason for the symptoms that he had suffered for months and that resulted in those three inoperable tumors.
“My training began to be interrupted by strange episodes, which were initially believed to be hemiplegic migraines. They occurred during intense training. They left me with a loss of strength and a feeling of numbness on my left side, a deep feeling of fear, nausea and a feeling of extreme déjà vu. “Now I know that they were actually seizures,” says Goodburn, who participated in the Great Britain Olympic selection trials in April.
An MRI in May finally revealed what I had begun to fear most
“These seizures increased in intensity and frequency as the April tests approached. Once the Trials were finished I delved into what was really causing these attacks. An MRI in May finally revealed what I had begun to fear most,” Goodburn continues his story.
Goodburn was third in the 100 meter breaststroke (1:00.03) and was a few tenths of a second away from one of the two places that gave the Olympic ticket. Bronze in the men’s 50m breaststroke at the 2019 World Juniors, he represented Scotland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Was silver in the 4×50 medley relay in the European short course in 2023.
The positive side of this diagnosis is that oligodendrogliomas generally respond better to chemo and radiation therapy than other brain tumors.
Now You will undergo chemo and radiotherapy sessions to treat your disease. “The positive side of this diagnosis is that oligodendrogliomas generally respond better to this treatment than many other types of serious brain tumors. They are often slow growing and these tumors are likely years old,” he says.
“I’m young, I’m fit, I have the most phenomenal supportive group of friends, the best family I could ask for and a fantastic girlfriend by my side,” says Goodburn.
