Member of the Month April 2024

Our Member of the Month this month is Ethan Feveyear.

At the end of January 2024, Ethan attended a routine Specsavers appointment on a Saturday. During the appointment, swelling on his retinas was noticed, prompting a referral to the hospital for further scans on Monday.

Subsequent MRI scans revealed a five-centimeter tumour on his brain. The following day, Ethan was transported to Addenbrookes Hospital by ambulance for additional treatment. On the Friday of the same week, he underwent a seven and a half hour surgery to remove the medulloblastoma.

After several weeks of testing, it was confirmed that the tumour was malignant, necessitating six weeks of radiotherapy and eight doses of chemotherapy. Ethan was approved for Proton Beam Radiotherapy based in London at UCLH, followed by six to nine months of chemotherapy. However, as he was preparing to start radiotherapy in London, Ethan was referred back to Addenbrooke’s for a second surgery to have a conduit placed to drain excess fluid from his brain to his abdomen.

At the time of writing, Ethan is just over halfway through his radiotherapy treatment and is managing it remarkably well, displaying great resilience.

“(Ethan) sees the beads he receives after each procedure as symbolic trophies, reflecting the challenges he has overcome and will continue to endure in the future.”