Lancing dad's years-long headache actually tumour spotted at Specsavers

Matt Voice, 40, from Lancing, struggled with dizziness and was increasingly concerned when he began to suffer headaches and vision problems.

He collapsed in a driveway in April 2020 and was taken to A&E in Worthing, but the incident was put down to high blood pressure.

Matt booked an appointment at a Specsavers in Worthing when he struggled with blackouts and seeing “black orbs”.

After being referred to an eye clinic at Southlands Hospital in Shoreham and then to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, he was shocked to be diagnosed with astrocytoma glioma, a type of brain cancer, in May 2020.

The dad-of-two said: “It didn’t sink in when they told me I had brain cancer, I wasn’t expecting it at all.”

Tests revealed that Matt had a type of brain cancer: credit - SWNS (Image: SWNS)

He had a partial craniotomy to remove 70 per cent of the tumour on one side of his brain, as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, with his cancer now under control.

Matt said: “If I hadn’t pushed for my optician appointment, I wouldn’t be here today. That appointment may well have saved my life.

“I was driving and had to pull over because my vision just went all blurry and I felt sick. But doctors kept saying it was my blood pressure.

“As my eyesight was getting worse, I pushed to get an optician’s appointment. It nearly got cancelled because of Covid but I pushed to go.”

Matt now suffers from short-term memory loss and struggles with his mobility and coordination, which has seen him close his business as a mechanic and move back in with his 64-year-old mum Bev Gargate, a part-time nurse.

Matt has had to move back in with his mum Bev: credit - SWNS (Image: SWNS)

He said: “I worked my whole life as a mechanic, so I was very switched on. Now I struggle to remember something my mum has just told me.

“I have to have a stair lift in the home and at 40 years old I’ve moved back in with my mum.”

Matt underwent chemotherapy at the start of 2021, but only managed three rounds of the eight he was scheduled to have after it made him too ill.

He said: “I lost all my hair, and I could see my children looking at me differently.

He said: “It’s been hard for my children, Mason, 11, and Darcey, 15, to see me like this. I’m still their dad but I look different.

“I am still their dad but I can’t do anything with them anymore.”

Matt had a partial craniotomy to remove 70 per cent of the tumour on one side of his brain: credit - SWNS (Image: SWNS)

Matt’s cancer is under control, but the tumour is likely to grow, meaning he will likely need further treatment.

Matt said: “It’s horrible waiting for the results of the MRI to see if it has grown. I just have to pray it hasn’t each time.

“I am just glad I went to the opticians when I did - otherwise I don’t think I’d be here for my children.”

Denis Youngman, a director optometrist at Specsavers’ Worthing store, said: “Matthew came to visit us in 2020, during the first lockdown.

“He complained of a number of odd symptoms, which had led to an A&E admission a few days earlier. A&E made a routine referral to neurology, which would have had him waiting weeks. However, I felt his case warranted an urgent in-store examination.

“During the examination, I found his vision to be reduced and, more importantly, the optic nerve ends in both eyes appeared to be swollen. This was highlighted on one of two OCT machines we have in store. As a result, I referred him immediately to the eye department in Southlands Hospital.

“Many of these cases turn out to be benign intra-cranial pressure, however, Matthew called to inform me that it was a brain tumour and urgent surgery was planned.

“He recently booked in to see me recently and you can imagine how pleased I was to see Matthew making a good recovery.”