I had a stomach ache, then doctors found a tumour in my brain

Lewis Goodfield had already been admitted to hospital twice for bad stomach pains when he collapsed in agony in his A&E department in March last year.

At just 37 years old, the father-of-two had been suffering with severe ‘relentless’ abdominal pains for years and was at his breaking point.

But this third hospital visit led to a diagnosis he never expected: a brain tumour.

‘I collapsed in pain while in hospital and nurses assumed I’d had a seizure,’ Lewis, from Beddau, Wales, says. ‘Then a CT scan showed a mass on my brain.

‘It was a huge shock – not just for me but for friends and family, too. It hit me hard.’

In April, the services engineer was told by his doctors he had a grade two glioma, a slow-growing brain tumour which often progresses to a higher grade (faster-growing) tumour over a span of years.

But it was chance that led to his diagnosis, because his bad stomach pains are believed to be entirely unrelated.

‘It was a massive shock,’ Lewis says, recalling the moment he was told about the mass. ‘[But] it wasn’t aggressive.’

He was given with two options: monitor the mass, or have surgery to remove it.

Lewis opted for surgery – a craniotomy procedure where a section of the skull is temporarily removed to access the brain, which he remained awake for the entire time – in July 2025.

‘I could hear all the drilling and conversations,’ he says. ‘It was really strange and just a lot to take in.

‘My neurosurgeon showed me the tumour in the palm of her hand. I was a bit shocked to see it, it was about the size of an egg.

‘It’s a lot to deal with.’

The operation was a success and the brain tumour wasn’t cancerous, so doctors believed it was found early enough.

Lewis praised his family, particularly wife Keeley, for their help with his recovery.

‘Keeley has borne the most of this,’ he says. ‘She’s had support from family and friends but she’s largely dealt with it all on her own.

‘I would never had been able to remain positive or stick with my daily tasks if it wasn’t for Keeley. She’s been incredible, especially with me not being able to drive.

‘The pair of us have really fought and recently the realisation of what we’ve been through has kicked in. We’ve been reflecting on that and it’s really hit home.’

Lewis admits that the recovery process has been tough but he’s just trying to ‘remain as strong as [he] can’.

Sadly, his debilitating stomach issues are still causing him a lot of problems, and he returned to hospital in March 2026 in search of answers.

‘I can’t live my life like this,’ he explains. ‘I’ve tried different diets and gave up spicy foods, then I gave up alcohol for a couple of months – all sorts.

‘It doesn’t help. I think I’ve now had 10 CT scans, various MRI scans and x-rays, a colonoscopy and two endoscopies and I’ve got another one scheduled for this week.

‘Then I need a capsule test, where you swallow a capsule and they track it through your digestive system.’

So far, a diagnosis has alluded Lewis’ doctors, and he says his consultants are ‘confused’ about what it could be.

‘It’s a bit of a mystery,’ he says. ‘One of them said, “You might have to live with this”.

‘I said, “I’m sorry, I can’t, there’s got to be an answer”.’

Meanwhile, the brain surgery has had a strong impact on his life, too.

Since having the mass removed from his brain, Lewis now struggles with busy environments, while noise and bright lights bother him more than before.

He’s also had to build up his memory function, which he says is improving week by week with the help of family and friends.

Despite all this, Lewis has been raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity, reaching a sum of more than £3,600, despite having to postpone The Twilight Walk due to his stomach issues.

He adds that his two children, Jake and Ralph, were ‘fairly unaware’ of his full diagnosis for a while, but he’d shared the importance of the charity with them when arranging his fundraising efforts.

‘I need to be fit enough to do [the walk] but talking about this has been fantastic,’ Lewis explains.

‘I’ve had so many messages of support and people joining the walk – some I only know through a friend of a friend. Some have been affected by similar issues.’

There are now more than 60 people joining Lewis’ fundraising walk and he’s determined to stay committed, despite his abdominal pains.

It’s also helped him to come to terms with everything he’s been through, by confiding in others.

‘It’s so good for us to talk things through,’ he says.

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