Schoolboy to collect exam results amidst brain tumour battle

A teenager who missed months of school after being diagnosed with a brain tumour is due to collect his GCSE results tomorrow.

Jacob Coldman, from Winkleigh in Devon, was in Year 7 when he was diagnosed with an optic pathway glioma after a routine eye test in November 2018, aged 12.

The schoolboy had two operations followed by 18 months of gruelling chemotherapy, which significantly disrupted his education and left him with life-changing injuries. He is registered visually impaired and takes longer to process information.

On Thursday 24 August Jacob, who is now 16, will collect his GCSE results from Chumleigh College.

Mum, Elaine Coldman, 48, said: “Chemotherapy was horrendous. Within the first cycle of starting treatment, Jacob was vomiting hourly and lost a third of his body weight. He was given platelet transfusions as well as blood and fluid transfusions, which became standard procedure with every round of treatment.”

Despite long stints in hospital, Jacob continued his schooling at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital when he was well enough, sometimes having lessons by his bedside.

Elaine added: “Jacob always loved learning and being able to do this during his treatment brought a level of normality to what had become a chaotic life. The teacher would ask him what he wanted to study to which he replied that he wanted to do the fun things like maths and physics, and you’d see his face beam with joy.”

The family were hit with devastation once again when a routine scan last year showed Jacob’s tumour had grown. Operating on it is deemed too risky because of where it is located.

In January 2023 he returned from having proton beam therapy at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH), having missed two months of school, including his mock GCSE exams.

Elaine said: “This time, the therapy was less invasive and although it caused fatigue, headaches and nausea, it was nothing when compared to chemotherapy. Once again, we were very grateful that he could attend hospital school whilst in London.”

She added: “When it came to the main exams, Jacob felt ready to sit them at the same time as his peers. He was given extra time to complete the papers and we applied for a timetable variation, which meant he only sat one exam each day.”

The teenager is predicted 7s and 8s when he collects his results and hopes to start college in September studying computer science.

Elaine said: “Investment into brain tumour treatments needs to be prioritised to ensure that families don’t have to go through the fear and ‘scanxiety’ that we feel between every symptom and appointment, which is why we continue to support the work of Brain Tumour Research.

“We are proud of Jacob for how he has dealt with every obstacle he has faced. We have already seen the tumour can grow but we have a little more hope that one day we will find a cure for this devastating disease.”

Elaine is now campaigning alongside the charity Brain Tumour Research to help reach 100,000 signatures on its petition to increase research funding, in the hope of prompting a parliamentary debate.

The charity is calling on the Government to ring-fence £110 million of current and new funding to kick-start an increase in the national investment in brain tumour research to £35 million a year by 2028.

Mel Tiley, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “With one in three people knowing someone affected by a brain tumour, Jacob’s story is, sadly, not unique. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.

“We’re determined to change this but it’s only by working together we will be able to improve treatment options for patients and, ultimately, find a cure. We wish Jacob all the best as he collects his GCSE results.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure. The charity is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.

To sign and share the petition before it closes at the end of October 2023, go towww.braintumourresearch.org/petition

Update:

Jacob’s GCSE results were three grade 7s (Maths, Physics and Chemistry), four 6s (Computer Science, RE, History and Biology) and two 5s (English lit and lang). He is now looking forward to starting college in September, where he will be studying computer science.

His mum, Elaine, said: “We were all over the moon for Jacob. It’s through his own sheer determination during his brain tumour diagnosis that has allowed him to thrive.

“We can’t wait to see what he does next.”