AROUND his 59th birthday, Ed Brady began experiencing frequent headaches which prompted a visit to his local medical centre.
It came as a huge shock when doctors discovered the cause and told him he had a year left to live.
Gill and Ed Brady – Ed was suffering frequent headaches when Gill suggested he go get checked outCredit: GenesisCar
Ed now wears an Optune Gio device on his head all the time to improve his quality of lifeCredit: GenesisCar
Ed was diagnosed with – a highly aggressive form of brain cancer that infiltrates normal brain tissue, making it hard to see and remove completely.
As part of his treatment, he now wears a special cap which sends electric waves through different pathways in his brain to slow down the growth of any cancerous cells – which his eldest daughter says makes him look like ‘Papa Smurf’.
Ed, who lives in with his wife Gill and has three grown up children: Elizabeth 28, John 26 and Maria 24, recalled a change in his behaviour around his 59th birthday in October 2024.
Gill had noticed he’d been suffering with frequent, although minor, headaches and a few stumbles and falls, which is when she suggested they get him checked out.
Ed said: “We went to the local walk-in centre the day after my birthday in Milton Keynes and the doctor there referred us to A^E for a scan.
“We waited in the hospital for many hours before I was told they’d found a mass on my brain and was admitted into hospital.
“That was a huge shock for me – especially as I’ve never had to stay overnight in hospital before.”
Ed stayed for a few days having more tests, and it became apparent he had a significant brain-related issue, so was referred to specialists in .
He said: “I met with Prof. Plaha following my MRI and he took me through my options and clearly explained that I had a brain tumour – most likely a glioblastoma – and explained the prognosis was most likely 12-15 months.
“Let’s just say it was a long silent drive back home from Oxford after that conversation. That drive was when I realised that my life had changed.”
A quick decision was made for Ed to have surgery at a private hospital in , which took around six to eight hours.
Ed explained: ” I was given the ‘pink drink’ beforehand so that the operating team could identify the tumour during surgery.
“They use a dye to identify the cancerous cells during surgery and the team were really pleased with all they were able to remove. That was really good news.
“I stayed in hospital for a few days after surgery and then went home. I started the chemotherapy and radiotherapy just before .”
Following the brain surgery and radiotherapy and chemo, he now wears an Optune Gio device on his head all the time – an innovative new treatment that delivers alternating electric fields, called Tumour Treating Fields (“TTFields) to selectively disrupt Grade 4 Glioma cell division – which could improve his prognosis without compromising his quality of life.
My eldest daughter is a fashion graduate and she would very much enforce that I am not making a fashion statement, unless it is based on the works of papa smurf!
Ed Brady
The Optune Gio device was first approved in 2009 and has recently been updated.
Ed, works full time for an energy company and specialises in offshore wind development, said: “My eldest daughter is a fashion graduate and she would very much enforce that I am not making a fashion statement, unless it is based on the works of papa smurf!”
Little did they know that less than a year later he would feature in an art installation alongside one of his daughter’s favourite pop artists – from The Wanted.
Explaining how the device works, Ed said: “I have a battery pack and a very clever piece of kit here at my side, with an electrical cord coming up my back into a series of four patches on my head. Two at the front and two going side to side. And each has about six electrodes in there so there are constantly electric waves going through different pathways in my brain.
“The idea is that the electrical waves will slow the growth of any glioblastoma cells that might be in there or ultimately kill them, whilst it’s not actually affecting the regular brain cells.
“I generally plug myself into the wall rather than working at a battery. So if I do have a bad dream, I’ll probably take out half of the neighbourhood’s light system. But no, that hasn’t been an issue.”
It’s next week that will Ed will be featuring alongside Sida in a new art installation called Memory Bank, which explores and celebrates, through the first-hand experiences of brain cancer patients and their friends and family, the power of making every moment count.
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Siva is fronting the GenesisCare campaign following the tragic loss of his friend and bandmate Tom ParkerCredit: GenesisCar
Siva, Gill and Ed – Ed will be featuring alongside Sida in a new art installation called Memory BankCredit: GenesisCar
Tom tragically died aged just 33 after battling an inoperable brain tumourCredit: AP
Siva is fronting the GenesisCare campaign following the tragic loss of his friend and bandmate .
The Memory Bank launch follows a new piece of research by GenesisCare – the UK’s leading private cancer care provider, specialising in the treatment of complex cancers – unveiling that memory loss is a patients’ biggest fear at the time of diagnosis, and that their new priority in life is to make the most of every single day.
As soon as Ed received his diagnosis, he realised how relevant the phrase ‘life is short’ is.
He said: “I realised I needed to make the most of the time I have left. I have a huge passion for rugby so once I got my diagnosis, I immediately bought tickets for my son and I to go and watch New Zealand vs Ireland in the Autumn Internationals at the Aviva in Dublin (I had never been there before). It was something I really wanted us to do together. However – it wasn’t to be as the date set for the surgery was the morning after the game and it simply wasn’t feasible for us to travel to the game.
“The night before the surgery we watched the game together from our hotel. Ireland played terribly and we lost the game. I told Professor Plaha and his surgical team as they were wheeling me to theatre the next morning, I hope you and your team do a better job than the Ireland team did last night! Fortunately, they did – the surgery went very well.”
Ed has been receiving treatment at GenesisCare and says everyone there is warm and welcoming on each visit.
He added: “At the end of my treatment, I told the staff that as much as I’ve loved seeing them, I really hope I don’t see them again!”
The installation will be displayed ay Westgate Shopping Centre in Oxford before being showcased at the GenesisCare Centre in Oxford.
WHAT IS GLIOBLASTOMA?
GLIOBLASTOMAS are a fast growing type of brain tumour. They are the most common type of cancerous (malignant) brain tumour in adults.
Symptoms include headaches, seizures, nausea, and vision or speech problems.
Other common signs are personality or mental changes, such as confusion or memory loss, and progressive weakness or paralysis on one side of the body.
These symptoms occur because the tumour puts pressure on the brain.
Glioblastoma prognosis is poor, with a median survival of 15-18 months and a five-year survival rate of around 5 percent.
Treatment can look at extending life.
The standard glioblastoma treatment involves a combination of surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible, followed by radiation and chemotherapy.
Other treatments can include inserting medicated wafers directly into the brain during surgery or using other chemotherapy drugs, while supportive treatments help manage symptoms.
New and experimental therapies like immunotherapy are also being explored in clinical trials.
