![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0_David-Ellis.jpg\")
David Ellis knew something was wrong when he lost all feeling down the side of his face(Image: UGC)<\/p>\nDavid Ellis visited A&E when he lost the feeling in the right side of his faceDavid Ellis knew something was wrong when he lost all feeling down the side of his face(Image: UGC)<\/p>\n
A Liverpool man who feared he was having a stroke was later given a devastating diagnosis. Earlier this year, David Ellis, 48, began experiencing a loss of feeling down the right side of his face. After visiting A&E, scans revealed a high-grade brain tumour.<\/a><\/p>\n David said: “I went to A&E because I thought I was having a stroke. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it was a brain tumour. To say I was devastated would be an understatement. However, I was reassured by the speed with which I was assessed by the clinical team at The Walton<\/a> Centre and scheduled for my operation.”<\/p>\n Due to the tumour’s location – close to areas of the brain that control speech and understanding – specialists at The Walton Centre<\/a> recommended an awake craniotomy: a complex procedure where patients remain conscious during surgery.<\/a><\/p>\n The technique allows surgeons to test a patient’s speech, memory and movement in real time, helping to ensure only the cancerous tissue is removed while protecting healthy brain function.<\/p>\n David said: “When they suggested an awake craniotomy, I really wasn’t sure. But when they explained it was the safest way to remove the tumour while protecting my speech and memory, I agreed.<\/p>\n “I was nervous, but watching the patient information video reassured me. Every staff member was so supportive and understanding; they helped me feel ready.\u201d<\/p>\n David\u2019s operation took place over the summer, and surgeons were able to remove the entire visible tumour. He has since completed a course of radiotherapy at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, and to date, the cancer has not returned.<\/p>\n Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist Hannah Jones-Reynolds, who supported David before, during and after his operation, said: “It\u2019s incredibly important for brain tumour patients having awake craniotomies that function is preserved. I always feel honoured when I can support a patient through such a life-altering experience.”<\/p>\n Consultant Neurosurgeon Farouk Olubajo added: “It\u2019s vitally important to us at The Walton Centre that patients get the best treatment we can offer when they need it most. Having real-time feedback from the patient during an awake craniotomy is crucial to preserving function and keeping them safe.”<\/p>\n Reflecting on his journey during International Brain Tumour Awareness Week, David said he now realises there were signs he missed before his diagnosis.<\/p>\n He said: “One time I was in a meeting and just couldn\u2019t speak, and another time I fell in the road and couldn\u2019t get up easily. They seemed like minor blips at the time, but I should have known then to get checked out.”<\/p>\n David now hopes his story will encourage others to seek help if they notice unusual symptoms. He said: “I feel incredibly lucky that The Walton Centre was able to remove the whole tumour and give me the best chance possible.<\/p>\n “The whole experience has inspired me to support others going through similar situations.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"David Ellis visited A&E when he lost the feeling in the right side of his faceDavid Ellis knew…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":532352,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[748,393,4884,105,179,211,87781,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-532351","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-liverpool","13":"tag-nhs","14":"tag-the-walton-centre","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115449438236967391","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=532351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532351\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/532352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=532351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=532351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=532351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}