A Stoke-on-Trent dad who thought his "drilling" headaches and tiredness were down to having a young family was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Exhausted Gary Mackay, 38, thought his low energy was caused by working 40-hour weeks - while being a dad and maintaining a social life. 

But he actually had a grade 2 astrocytoma - a brain tumour - which doctors found when he collapsed on the bathroom floor in the middle of the night.

Gary, a complaints strategy analyst for Barclays, said: "Everything started making sense. 

"My mysterious collapse was actually a grand-mal seizure. 

"The pain in my head, sometimes so severe it felt as if someone was drilling into my skull, and my lack of energy were all caused by my brain tumour."

In February, Gary had the 5cm tumour removed and is now monitored with regular scans (SWNS).

He collapsed in November 2022 and woke up on the bathroom floor, disorientated.

He had a CT scan for a suspected stroke before being diagnosed with the tumour which infiltrates healthy brain tissue.

While waiting for surgery, Gary suffered a major seizure at home alone with his son, Sebastian, aged four at the time.

Gary, also dad to Sienna, eight, and now five-year-old Sebastian, said: "I felt a strange aura – what I now know is the feeling you get before you have a seizure - come over me. 

"I had started preparing dinner and put some water on to boil. 

"My next memory was waking up as my wife, Lisa, returned home with Holly, and Sebastian saying 'daddy's been asleep for an hour'.

"When I came round, I could talk, but wasn't making any sense. 

"Lisa asked me questions including if I needed medical attention to which I replied 'I think so.' "

Gary will take on a National Three Peaks Challenge in May 2024 to raise money for Brain Tumour Research (SWNS).

In February, Gary had a craniotomy to remove the 5cm tumour from his brain and is now monitored with regular scans.

While the operation was a success, Gary knows the cancer may return and he could need further treatment. 

Gary said: "This disease has torn my family's world apart. 

"We live with uncertainty and that has been horrible to deal with. 

"I thought about everything that I could miss in the future, such as walking my daughter down the aisle, spending time with my son and, eventually, becoming a grandparent."

He is training for a National Three Peaks Challenge in May 2024 to raise money for Brain Tumour Research.

He said: "From my birthday in November 2022, right through Christmas last year, everything is hazy. 

"Although medication was controlling my seizures, the steroids woke me up at 3am every day. 

"It became my alone time where I could just be me and let out my emotions.

Gary, who works for Barclays, has already raised over £2,000 for Brain Tumour Research (SWNS).

"I'm looking forward to spending time with my family this Christmas and I will be training for my hiking challenge from January. 

"I want to raise awareness and money for research into brain tumours to combat this disease and stop other families going through the torment it has brought my family."

Mel Tiley, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: "We're grateful to Gary for sharing his story and wish him well for any future scans.

"One in three people know someone affected by a brain tumour, the stats around the disease are disturbing. 

"It's with the support of people such as Gary that will help us fund research to finder kinder treatments and ultimately a cure for brain tumours."

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