Scott Hinch, 31, was a fit and active weightlifter with no major health concerns, but everything changed when he suffered a seizure during a commute to work – and was given a devastating diagnosis
A weightlifter who brushed off his headaches and nosebleeds as the fallout of long shifts and heavy exercise ended up in a coma – only to be diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour that would leave him with just a few years to live.
Scott Hinch, 31, was the picture of health before his diagnosis – fit, active, and with no major health concerns, apart from the occasional headache and nosebleed. But on his commute to work on August 19, 2019, he suffered a seizure and was rushed to Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. He was placed in an induced coma for four days, and after waking up, an MRI scan revealed he had a grade 2 astrocytoma – an aggressive tumour typically found in the brain or spinal cord. Doctors gave him just three to five years to live.
Emergency surgery followed on September 4 to remove part of the tumour. Scott then began a gruelling regime of treatment – seven weeks of radiotherapy and 12 rounds of chemotherapy aimed at halting the cancer’s spread. While the treatment initially worked, the cancer returned in late 2023. Scott began a second, more aggressive course – 20 months’ worth of chemotherapy, crammed into just 10.
He is now undergoing his third round of treatment for his tumour and says he suffers from “relentless fatigue” and that he is “dependent” on his mum, Fiona Lott, 51, because he “can’t leave the house most days”. Scott, who worked as a solar engineer from Abergavenny, Wales, said: “Looking back, I now realise there were signs. Headaches, nosebleeds, things I chalked up to long work hours.
“Maybe heavy training at the gym and not drinking enough water. I even went to the opticians, but nothing was picked up. Most days, I can’t leave the house. But I’m still here, and that’s something I’m grateful for.”
Scott was diagnosed with a grade 2 astrocytoma following his seizure in 2019. While the general prognosis is good – and those with grade 1 have a 96% chance of survival after five years – it can decrease to below 30% for those with grade 3 or higher. After waking from a four-day coma induced coma, a consultant broke the “devastating” news that he had three to five years to live.
“I had no memory of anything since leaving the house,” he said. “I had four days completely missing, I remember setting off for work and then waking up in the hospital with doctors and nurses over my bed. It was frightening. I was shocked and scared and didn’t know what was going on.”
The consultant at the University Hospital of Wales, in Cardiff, Wales, explained to Scott and his family that due to the tumour’s diffused nature, only part of it could be safely removed – called debulking – which happened on September 4. “I was terrified,” Scott said. “But I woke up a couple of hours later, cracked a joke, and asked for a cup of tea. It was a relief to know my brain function was intact.”
After the surgery, Scott went through 16 “gruelling” months of therapy – including seven weeks of radiotherapy and 12 cycles of chemotherapy – which kept things stable for two years. But a routine scan towards the end of 2023 revealed the tumour was active again and Scott started his second round of treatment with intensive chemotherapy – with no success in curing the cancer.
“I take it one month at a time,” he said. “The fatigue is relentless and most days I can’t leave the house.” His mum, Fiona, became his full-time carer and was “dependent on her” for everything. During this time, the 31-year-old had lost his driving licence as a result of his seizures and sold his car.
“I felt like losing my independence,” he said. “I couldn’t visit friends, and the risk of infection meant limited visitors. I felt incredibly isolated.”
Five years on, Scott is still battling the disease and is now undergoing his third round of treatment. But he remains determined. “I’m still here, and that’s something I’m grateful for,” he said.
To help raise awareness, his mum, Fiona, and auntie, Lyndsey, are taking on the 200k in May Your Way challenge to raise money for the Brain Tumour Research Charity. Fiona said: “Watching my son go through the trauma of surgery and three rounds of treatment for brain cancer has been heartbreaking.
“No family should have to experience the fear, uncertainty and pain that we have. We need better outcomes, kinder treatments, and ultimately a cure. If our efforts can help spare just one family from this suffering, then every step will be worth it.”