Will’s diagnosis came as a huge shock to his family (Image: Will Parry)
What would you do if you were given 12 months to live?
This is the unthinkable question that 32 year old Will Parry had to confront after being informed of a the size of a fist, growing on the left side of his brain.
Before his diagnosis, the father-of-three loved having adventures with his wife and children – exploring the outdoors, embarking on long and participating in all kinds of water sports.
Now, organising a simple week-long getaway has become an insurmountable challenge for the Ceredigion family.
Rewind to the summer of 2024, when Will was carrying out his usual duties as a security guard – working from 2pm to 10pm at Aberystwyth’s , before heading to the local or club for another demanding shift from 2am to 4am, only to return home at 5am.
Will and his wife Leanne have been together for 15 years (Image: Will Parry)
Despite the exhaustion, Will persevered, blaming his severe headaches on the strains of his routine. His wife Leanne, however, started to observe a concerning trend, reports .
Even though he reduced his hours, Will was becoming increasingly fatigued and his energy seemed to be dwindling.
The family’s holiday to Switzerland turned worrisome one week before their lives were upended. Notably, Will, who loved a holiday beer, abstained from drinking throughout the trip – not even at the airport.
Leanne observed that Will appeared detached and his gaze seemed empty, an unfamiliar sight in their fifteen years together. His eye twitched, a symptom Leanne initially brushed off playfully.
She said: “He had a twitch in it and I would joke to him that he was winking at me all the time,” adding: “I would just say to him, ‘I know you fancy me, stop winking at me!”
Friday, August 23 marked the day their world changed.
Their home was abuzz with the children’s yearly summer sleepover. As Will was about to head out to work, his left leg began trembling wildly. Although Will has no memory of that day, for Leanne, the images are etched permanently.
She said: “He was literally just about to leave to go to work at two o’clock in the afternoon, then I noticed his left leg started shaking as he was putting his shoes on. I said to him ‘Are you alright? ‘ and he was like ‘Yeah, yeah, I’m alright.’ Then his eyes shut and he just collapsed – it looked like he was having a stroke.
Will underwent a seven-hour brain surgery (Image: Will Parry)
She said: “He was literally just about to leave to go to work at two o’clock in the afternoon, then I noticed his left leg started shaking as he was putting his shoes on. I said to him ‘Are you alright? ‘ and he was like ‘Yeah, yeah, I’m alright.’ Then his eyes shut and he just collapsed – it looked like he was having a stroke.
“Thankfully one of my closest friends had walked through the door five minutes before it happened, so I was able to leave the kids and take Will across the road to our local GP. I literally had to drag him, which was hard – he is a big bloke, nearly six foot and he couldn’t move one side of his body.”
Despite this, Leanne managed to get Will to the GP swiftly, where the staff responded. He was immediately taken in for an ECG and examination, where their family doctor expressed concerns about a potential brain bleed and referred them to the hospital.
The news at the Cardiff hospital was shattering. Will was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a severe form of brain cancer, with doctors informing Leanne that he had 12 to 18 months to live; leaving her utterly heartbroken.
Following the dreadful revelation, Will said: “I woke up to see Lee crying in a corner. Then she sort of told me what it was. I can just remember thinking to myself: ‘Right, okay… this is it.’ I’ve literally gone through this whole thing, taking the mick out of myself, sort of been very sarcastic with it. You can’t change what’s happening.”
Subsequent scans unveiled the mass of Will’s brain tumour situated on the left side, which alarmingly revised his predicted survival span to merely 2 to 4 months, leaving Will and his loved ones devastated. Doctors marvelled at the “miracle” that Will continued walking and talking, noting that typically, a patient would succumb to a coma under such conditions.
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Nevertheless, Will bravely faced seven hours of crucial brain surgery that excised 99% of the tumour, granting him a precious extension of life.
Despite the surgery’s success, the medical experts’ forecast remained bleak. Faced with glioblastoma, an aggressive and rapidly deteriorating cancer type, there was no definitive cure, placing Will against a timeline of about a year.
Defiant in the face of this prognosis, Will steadfastly pursued consecutive chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions. Alongside this, he and his partner delved into exploring alternative therapies that might lengthen his lifespan even more.
He said: “I will literally try anything at this point. Lee and I have only been married for two and a bit years.
“I have three children, my youngest being three and I want to see them grow as much as I can,” Will declared. “I will be a guinea pig – I will take whatever works.”
Leanne went on to say: “We’ve looked into immunotherapy and research has come out about Vitamin C, which could be an option. We’ve being looking into treatments abroad, but when it starts to look hopeful, we see that it costs something like £100,000 – it is like being kicked in the teeth all over again, the hurdles just don’t stop coming.”
Will wants to see his children grow ‘as much as he can’ (Image: Will Parry)
In the months since, updates regarding Will’s condition have become increasingly vague. “At this point in time, the doctors can’t even give us a rough estimation of how long Will has,” Leanne revealed.
“It’s made it impossible to plan anything. I am scared to look too far ahead because we don’t know what the future holds.”
“Obviously we want to do as many things together as we possibly can,” Will said. “The dream is Canada. I’ve wanted to go there since I was 16. While all my friends talked about Australia, there was something about Canada that really stuck out to me. Lee and I were talking about going for our honeymoon but she became pregnant, which threw a spanner in the works. Things just kept getting in the way – there is the cost of health insurance and things like that, but Canada is the goal.”
As the Parry family navigate their new reality, the couple have faced the daunting task of informing their children. Their eldest, Tyler, 12 and Thia, 10, are aware of their father’s illness, though they don’t fully know the gravity of the situation.
Will said: “We know that they are very smart children who probably know more than they are letting on. I’ve had my daughter cry on me quite a few times, especially in recent weeks – she knows something. They listen to conversations me and Lee have or me and my mum have. They are like sponges.
“The only time I have ever shed a tear throughout this whole experience, is when I made videos, for when I go. I have only done the first two. I can’t bring myself to do the third.”
Will’s dream is to travel to Canada (Image: Will Parry)
Will also emphasised the invaluable support his wife has provided during this period, and the strain she is under. “She [Leanne] has had to shoulder a lot of it and it’s hitting her harder than most. Every time I bring that up to her, she says, ‘Well it’s not me going through ‘ but it is.
“In the fifteen years we have been together, we’ve had our ups and downs, just like any relationship but we’ve always been there for each other. She’s an amazing mum, my soulmate, I love her to bits – I always have.”
In the face of adversity, the community has come together in remarkable support for one family. Leanne expressed her gratitude: “We have amazing family, friends and neighbours who have been unbelievable to us at this time,” adding, “We have been feeling so guilty about the amount of money that has been raised and given to us – we have never asked but we are so grateful.”
The generosity of strangers has also been a source of amazement, as Will highlighted: “What has been even more incredible is the strangers who have come forward to help – people we have never met,” and detailed how his best friend intervened, saying, “My best friend Rhydian Roberts put my name forward for support from this charity, Love from Wales. Not long later, we received a Zoom call from Sion, Doug and Paul who were so eager to help us. That is when we were told about the 15 Peaks Challenge.”
A team of dedicated volunteers, numbering 35, has set a goal to conquer 15 peaks across Snowdonia in a mere 48 hours come early April, rallying for Will and his family.
The trek will involve navigating rocky paths, steep ups and downs, and the daunting Crib Goch ridge atop Snowdon, under the guidance of seasoned Mountain Leaders with extensive experience in arranging such events.
Although tackling these peaks typically sprawls over an entire week, this valiant group intends to leap into action over just two days. Their tents will find temporary homes at local campsites throughout the eventful weekend.
A representative from Love from Wales posted on their crowdfunding page prior to the challenge: “We are raising as much money as possible to give to Will and his family to create some memories they will never forget.
“If you can spare any money for this challenge, we would really appreciate it! This Charity was created to give people any type of support that is possible and this is hugely important for Will and his family. Love from Wales are ready to step up and face a challenge that may sound crazy but with everyone’s support we will get the job done and raise a large sum of money for Will and the family.”