Scottish teenager and fitness fanatic Rob Bichan has opened up about his life while living with an inoperable brain tumor.
In January 2020, then-17-year-old Bichan was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), the UK Independent reported. He was told at the time that he had only six to nine months to live.
After Bichan underwent a biopsy that February, his prognosis improved significantly. However, his solidly built body deteriorated from weight gain and side effects from steroids.
Since then, he has gotten back into CrossFit with his girlfriend, Jodie, reigniting his zest for fitness even though he is still living with the tumor.
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Now 19 years old, Bichan is sharing his story through Battle Cancer‘s “Are you one of us” fundraising campaign for cancer charities.
Bichan explained that he first realized something was wrong in late 2019 when he started suffering from “blinding headaches that would make my vision blurry.”
It wasn’t until he got an MRI in January 2020 that doctors found the cause of his symptoms, the Independent reported.
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“They told me I had six to nine months to live,” Bichan said. “They said if radiotherapy works well enough, you’ll have a maximum of two years.”
Bichan underwent surgery a month later at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, according to the Independent. He said doctors initially believed his tumor to be DIPG, but the “exact nature of my tumor-type is still unknown.”
“They expected the tumor to be high grade, but the cells they got were low grade. It baffled my neurosurgeon, as DIPG, in all instances, is classified as high-grade,” Bichan said.
Following surgery, he suffered from a number of side effects, including double-vision and a lack of feeling in his left side.
After going through radiotherapy for six weeks, he was put on steroids and gained 25 kilograms (55 pounds) in six weeks, the Independent reported.
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