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In September 2022, Mason Morgan was enjoying the life of a typical 27-year-old living in London.<\/p>\n
When he wasn\u2019t at his job in marketing, he\u2019d go on ski trips, city breaks or to festivals with his friends. He played football and squash, and was a keen cyclist and runner too.<\/p>\n
Mason, now 28, was four weeks away from a big move to Australia, busy packing up his room in his house share in south London, when his life changed.<\/p>\n
He received a shock diagnosis of an aggressive, rare form of brain cancer, which he now knows is incurable.<\/p>\n
Now, determined not to let his diagnosis \u2018consume him\u2019, Mason is committing the rest of life to spreading positivity \u2013 however long that may be.<\/p>\n
He tells Metro.co.uk: \u2018I want people to know that every day becomes easier when you choose to think positively and approach things with a smile. <\/p>\n
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\u2018If someone tells you that you can\u2019t do something, prove them wrong. Do everything you can in the time that you have, and you won\u2019t have a single regret.\u2019 <\/p>\n
Prior to his diagnosis, Mason thought he was fit and healthy, and went to the gym three or four times a week.<\/p>\n
But in September 2022, he noticed something strange. He says: \u2018I was cleaning my room, and I looked up and saw my housemate. I was like, \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018She said: \u201cWe\u2019ve just had a conversation, don\u2019t you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018I had no recollection and knew that wasn\u2019t normal, so I called 111. They told me to go to hospital as quickly as I could.<\/p>\n
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\u2018I wasn\u2019t really scared or worried. I just wanted to get myself checked out, and get home again.\u2019<\/p>\n
But Mason was soon undergoing a series of tests and brain scans. While in hospital, he also learnt that a friend of his \u2013 an ex-housemate \u2013 was also there, being treated for cervical cancer.<\/p>\n
Then, three days later, Mason received the shocking news. He had a brain tumour and would need emergency surgery.<\/p>\n
\u2018It was very scary,\u2019 he says. \u2018I was being asked to sign all these consent forms without really knowing what was going on. I had no idea what the scar would look like or where it would be. It all happened so fast.\u2019<\/p>\n
Mason has an anaplastic astrocytoma tumour with piloid features on the right of his cerebellum \u2013 the part of the brain which controls balance and posture.<\/p>\n
An astrocytoma is a type of\u00a0brain tumour, which develop from the glial cells \u2013 the cells which support nerves in the brain or spinal cord. Among other symptoms, patients report headaches, and feeling confused.<\/p>\n
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His surgery lasted for seven hours, during which time doctors tried to remove the tumour. <\/p>\n
Mason says: \u2018They got a lot out, but not all of it.<\/p>\n
\u2018After my surgery I was struggling to see, type, speak, eat, swallow. I required assistance even doing the basics. I was also constantly vomiting as I caught an infection in theatre, so was trying to recover from surgery \u2013 it was a double whammy. I was going to have to re-learn to walk and talk again. It felt hopeless.<\/p>\n
\u2018Then, a few days after surgery, they took me to a room with my mum and told me it was terminal.<\/p>\n
\u2018I was told that, with chemotherapy, my prognosis was three to five years. But, depending on age and fitness, it could be ten years.<\/p>\n
As a tumour grows, it can press on or grow into nearby areas of the brain \u2013 affecting how the brain normally works. Symptoms can depend on the size and position of the tumour and the speed at which it grows. They may develop suddenly or slowly over months or even years.<\/p>\n
Possible symptoms include:<\/p>\n
The tumour may also cause other symptoms, depending on which part of the brain is affected.<\/p>\n
Source: Macmillan<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018I didn\u2019t know the words to say or how to take it in. I wanted to be brave in front of my mum, but when I went back to my bed and was by myself I just cried.<\/p>\n \u2018It felt so unfair. Of course I couldn\u2019t help but think \u201cwhy me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018By the time I left hospital in October I was physically and mentally exhausted. Then I learnt the news that my friend, who had been battling cervical cancer, had passed away. It was a lot to deal with.\u2019<\/p>\n But back at home, Mason wanted to take back some control. He says: \u2018In hospital, I needed someone to help me shower, and I hated that. It felt very degrading. So my first goal was to be able to do that myself. <\/p>\n \u2018Even thought it took me 45 minutes, I managed it.<\/p>\n \u2018Then, I was determined to walk again. I did speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy twice a day, every day, but soon I was back on my feet. I just wanted to feel like myself again.\u2019<\/p>\n Then, in January 2023, Mason began chemotherapy. He says: \u2018It\u2019s rough. One cycle is five days of treatment, with a break of three weeks. Chemo can be very taxing on your body.<\/p>\n \u2018I was vomiting a lot and ended up in A&E as I couldn\u2019t keep food or water down.\u2019<\/p>\n It was after his chemo cycle ended, that Mason decided to get back into running. He says: \u2018I have balance and walking issues now so I can\u2019t cycle or do some of the other sports I used to do \u2013 but I can run.<\/p>\n \u2018Running allows me to clear my head and just focus on nothing but myself and the road in front of me. It lets me forget about my diagnosis, and for a brief moment the weight of the world is lifted from my shoulders.<\/p>\n \u2018So I set myself a target of running 5km, which I did in July 2023 \u2013 and from then on, things have snowballed.\u2019<\/p>\n Mason decided to set himself a series of running challenges, in order to raise funds for Macmillan and Guy\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n He\u2019s already completed several 10kms around the capital, and next year, he plans to run multiple marathons including London, Chicago, and New York marathons, as well as climb Mount Kilimanjaro. On Sunday, October 8, he\u2019ll be taking part in this year\u2019s Royal Parks Half Marathon, presented by Royal Bank of Canada.<\/p>\n He says: \u2018Macmillan have been on the other end of the phone whenever I\u2019ve needed them, regardless of what time of day it is.<\/p>\n \u2018They\u2019ve provided me with the counselling I need to get through this ordeal, both with my own diagnosis and the loss of my friend, and they\u2019ve even provided financial support during the times at which I\u2019ve been unable to work. I\u2019d be totally lost without them.\u2019<\/p>\n Now, Mason, who has returned to work, has good days and bad days. He says: \u2018I try to be positive, but some days are better than others. My cancer is invisible \u2013 you can\u2019t see it, so people often think everything is fine, when the reality is that it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n \u2018For example, while I was riding the tube last week, a woman demanded I stand up so that she could sit down. I explained my situation and showed her both my badge and scar, but she continued to shout at me in front of the whole carriage because she thought I was lying.\u2019<\/p>\n Mason\u2019s also determined to support other young people going through cancer.<\/p>\n He says: \u2018It\u2019s so easy to lose your confidence and feel extremely low.<\/p>\n \u2018But I\u2019d hate for other patients to be sitting there thinking, \u201cwhy me?\u201d, or like you\u2019re running out of time \u2013 everybody is! It\u2019s happened, and there\u2019s nothing you can do about it \u2013 that\u2019s life.<\/p>\n \u2018I often speak to other patients. I want to be there to support them, and show them that there is life after diagnosis. There is light at the end of the tunnel, you don\u2019t have to be alone in this. <\/p>\n \u2018I want to be an example of what you can do \u2013 despite a horrible diagnosis \u2013 patients don\u2019t have to let their diagnosis define them or stand in the way of them achieving their goals or what they want to do.<\/p>\n Reflecting on his goals for the future, Mason said: \u2018I want to live a normal life where I don\u2019t let what\u2019s happened to me get in the way of where I want to be.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to be remembered as somebody that didn\u2019t try and live. I will fight this, and it\u2019ll be my biggest fight yet, but I want to give it my all and create something positive that I can be remembered by. <\/p>\n \u2018I won\u2019t be here long, but I\u2019m going to make it count.\u2019<\/p>\n To donate to Mason\u2019s fundraising, visit https:\/\/www.justgiving.com\/crowdfunding\/mason-challenge.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n