Calvin Nap was just 29 years old when he collapsed in the gym in August, 2022. He was doing weights when a sudden weakness and sciatic-type pain came over on the right side of his body. He thought he might have pulled a muscle.
He underwent a number of investigations with sports therapists and scans that revealed a few bulging discs in his back, but nothing to explain the level of pain he was experiencing. And it got worse and worse as time went on, and the events of sudden, shooting sciatic pain became more frequent.
“I was just training in the gym like any normal day. And I had this massive shooting pain on my right side. And that’s never happened before. I’ve been training since I was like 15. So it was a bit strange. And I was on the floor for about 10 minutes. I couldn’t really move,” said Calvin, from Llandaff. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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“My right side was getting slowly more restricted, I developed drop foot, and then my right arm was becoming weak and just limping around. And then in April this year, I finally had a scan of my head and then it revealed a tumour on my left side of my brain so that was why my right side was basically not working. I didn’t have any headaches, no seizures, nothing. Nothing to suggest there was a tumour.”
Since April, 2023, Calvin has undergone six weeks of gruelling radiation and chemotherapy treatments. His neurosurgeon has removed as much of the tumour – a astrocytoma – as possible without impairing him, and he has had the maximum dose of radiation and is taking the most suitable chemotherapy drug available on the NHS.
“The surgeon couldn’t remove it all as they were concerned it would leave me permanently disabled. He had to decide how much to leave and how much to take away and how it would leave me.” Support award-winning journalism with WalesOnline’s Premium app on Apple or Android
The surgery was eight hours long and Calvin was awake for the entirety of it. He had to do tasks during the surgery, like moving his right arm and leg as well as viewing photos and responding to questions. Calvin, now 30, has had to learn to walk and write again. He is unable to work at the moment due to his mobility issues, but is pleased his trainers and managers are keeping his gym in Canton going.
“It is quite tough because I’m restricted in my movements and everything like that, relying on family and friends to get me around. I moved back in with my parents. I couldn’t look after myself. I’m quite positive that I’ll get better. I know it is still going to be a long process, it’s not going to happen overnight.”
Even after all these treatments, a residual amount of cancer stem cells remain in Calvin’s brain. Due to the type of brain cancer he has, there is a strong potential for the tumour to grow again and be possibly more resistive to conventional treatments. There are additional treatment options, but they are not available on the NHS.
After Calvin and his family, friends and loved ones did extensive research on further treatment, he consulted with his oncologist and there is hope. He said the DCVax-L, an immunotherapy treatment, was an encouraging option; it is a personalised vaccine made from cells from Calvin’s tumour (which was frozen at the time of his surgery) and his blood cells. Once the vaccine is administered, the theory is that Calvin’s body will take over and destroy the cancer cells. But the cost of manufacturing the vaccine is £200,000, plus additional medical costs.
Calvin is now fundraising for this amount, but is also extremely passionate about raising awareness of the issue that this type of treatment is not readily available for cancer patients who may have exhausted all treatment options the NHS has to offer. It is hoped that the vaccine will become available on the NHS in future, but Calvin said he did not have years to wait. To support Calvin as he raises funds for his treatment, click here.
Calvin said he was also shocked to discover that brain tumours were a leading cause of cancer in under 40-year-olds. Though he had none of the typical symptoms, he wants people to be more aware of the disease.
According to the NHS, symptoms of a brain tumour include:
- headaches
- seizures (fits)
- persistently feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting) and drowsiness
- mental or behavioural changes, such as memory problems or changes in personality
- progressive weakness or paralysis on one side of the body
- vision or speech problems
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
