Originally from Peterborough, England, Sam was on cloud nine. His wife Mauricee had just given birth to their third child, Alejandria, and the family was growing, says
The Sun. However, a few weeks after the arrival of the little girl, Sam’s behavior started to change. Headaches and some confusion appeared, causing trouble within the couple.
Mauricee, a surgical specialist herself, initially thought her pregnancy hormones were to blame for her altered perception of the situation. “It was like living with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde“, she later confided. Sam’s mood swings and forgetfulness were becoming more and more frequent.”He even joked about his accent and laugh changing, which in hindsight were all symptoms of the tumor that was silently growing in his head.“, she added. The situation got so bad that Mauricee considered a divorce in March 2023. Fortunately, the couple was able to reconcile and Sam focused on his role as a father and husband to his pregnant wife. But just two weeks after Alejandria’s birth, physical symptoms began to show up in Sam as well.
“At first he had headaches that only lasted a few minutes”
“At first he had headaches that lasted only a few minutesthen they were accompanied by a metallic taste, which we now know to be epileptic seizures“, Mauricee wrote. Worried, she took Sam to her GP after he collapsed while changing Alejandria’s diaper. The diagnosis was clear: migraines due to lack of sleep. Dissatisfied with this explanation, Mauricee insisted on an MRI, ultimately scheduled four weeks later.
The following summer, faced with Sam’s declining health, Mauricee pleaded with a nurse for an additional scan. “A few minutes later, we were asked to go to a private room where the doctor’s first sentence was: ‘I’m sorry I didn’t believe you at first, but we listened to you and sent him for a scan.’“, she remembered.
He had 12 weeks left to live
The definitive diagnosis has been made: glioblastoma, an inoperable and very aggressive brain tumor. Sam had only 12 weeks to live. Despite the shock, the family decided to fight. A second opinion allowed for a surgical biopsy and radiation treatment, giving Sam a valuable reprieve from his children.
Unfortunately, the tumor proved resistant to treatment and continued to grow. Mauricee then tried to raise funds for an experimental treatment in Germany, but Sam died last February, aged 34, leaving a huge void behind him.
“Every day is difficult without Sam”
Today, Mauricee fights for Sam’s story to serve as a lesson and works to better detection of brain tumors. She notably organized a charity football tournament and funded research into glioblastoma.
“Every day is hard without Sam, especially when it comes to its first birthday without him“, she concluded. “The support from our friends has been invaluable. I know he would be delighted if we all came together to remember him and raise money for such an important cause. It’s heartbreaking that Sam is no longer here, but in his death I want to create a legacy by helping fund brain tumor research ; to give hope to future patients and their families affected by this horrible disease.“
