‘Absolutely healthy’ man, 25, left permanently brain damaged after a headache and feeling tired at work

AN "absolutely healthy" antheral has been near permanently encephalon damaged aft suffering a headache astatine work.

Martin Griffiths was "full of energy" earlier helium started to consciousness unwell connected the occupation arsenic a drainage engineer.

The 25-year-old was moving alongside his dada Jason, 47, who said his lad felt similar he'd been "hit circular the backmost of the head".

Martin, from Boston, Lincolnshire, was rapidly rushed to hospital, wherever helium was initially diagnosed with a stroke.

Doctors aboriginal said helium had a brain tumour and conscionable 3 to six months to live.

But successful a daze twist, a biopsy revealed determination was nary motion of cancer.

Instead, Martin is present thought to person an "incredibly rare" signifier of inflammation of the brain, which affects little than 1 idiosyncratic successful a cardinal and is usually seen successful the elderly.

After a process to eradicate the inflammation, Martin was placed successful an induced coma.

His information deteriorated to the constituent his full family, including his mum Lyndsey Cheshire, 44, and his siblings Aaron, 23, Chelsey, 19, and Nathan, 13, gathered astatine his bedside aft deciding to power disconnected his beingness support.

To doctors’ and his family’s surprise, Martin woke up a time aboriginal – and though helium was successful a vegetative state, helium was capable to prosecute with his eyes, and adjacent determination his lips to buss his girlfriend, Jess Turner, 27.

Almost 2 years since the archetypal headache, Martin present lives successful a attraction home.

But Jason hopes to bring him location soon, prompting the household to motorboat a GoFundMe leafage to assistance modify the location and marque it accessible – arsenic Martin volition perchance request round-the-clock attraction for the remainder of his life.

“This was precise rapid. Whatever was going connected successful Martin’s caput took clasp and it was astir similar his encephalon was connected fire,” Jason said.

“What helium has is incredibly rare; we were told the fewer cases determination person been are mostly successful older radical and they’re instantly enactment connected to palliative care.”

Martin was an “outgoing” antheral who was “full of energy”, according to his dad, erstwhile helium started to acquisition headaches 1 time astatine work connected February 14, 2023.

“He described it arsenic though he’d been deed circular the backmost of the head,” Jason said.

Martin was taken to the Pilgrim Hospital successful Boston, wherever a scan connected his encephalon recovered a “pooling of blood” successful the backmost of his caput and helium was placed connected the stroke ward.

He soon started to consciousness “tired” and was “struggling to retrieve definite things”, Jason said, and helium was referred to Queen’s Medical Centre successful Nottingham for further tests.

Martin was discharged with painkillers and asked to instrumentality if things worsened – but his household became progressively acrophobic erstwhile helium soon struggled to locomotion and instrumentality himself to the toilet.

He was admitted to Queen’s Medical Centre successful June 2023 and placed connected the oncology ward, wherever helium was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Martin underwent a biopsy, wherever they chopped his skull unfastened and took distant a portion of his encephalon for further testing.

While awaiting the results, Jason said the household were informed helium would person 3 to six months to live.

“I retrieve thinking, ‘My satellite has ended here, this is it’,” Jason said.

He added that Martin wanted his household to “stop crying” and spell connected holidays and trips alternatively – but his information deteriorated.

“It got to a point, implicit a week to 10 days, wherever it was similar talking to a babe again,” Jason said.

The biopsy results past came backmost – but nary crab was found.

'Worst time of my life'

Jason said his doctors started exploring the way of inflammation connected the brain.

In July 2023, they projected the starring mentation that Martin could person superior angiitis of the cardinal tense strategy (PACNS) – a benignant of CNS vasculitis, oregon inflammation of humor vessels successful the brain.

“It’s incredibly rare, peculiarly astatine Martin’s age,” Jason said.

He past underwent a plasma speech to eradicate the inflammation successful his encephalon - a process which replaces the plasma wrong the blood.

Unfortunately, this had a “devastating” effect and helium ended up successful an induced coma connected July 14, 2023.

“His assemblage perfectly rejected the caller plasma and implicit the adjacent 2 days, helium was critical,” Jason said.

It was thought helium would not travel circular and the household made the determination to power disconnected Martin's beingness support.

“All of Martin’s friends and household came to the ICU, astir 21 of us,” Jason said.

“We went determination prepared to accidental goodbye. It was decidedly the worst time of my life.”

Martin continued to respire connected his ain however, which astounded his loved ones and aesculapian unit – particularly erstwhile helium woke up the adjacent time connected August 15, 2023.

“He fought truthful hard and helium conscionable didn’t go,” Jason said.

Martin was initially successful a vegetative authorities but implicit the adjacent fewer weeks helium was capable to determination his eyes, wink, and adjacent buss his woman Jess.

He was transferred to encephalon rehabilitation hospitals successful Leicester and Lincoln, earlier being moved to a attraction location successful August 2024, wherever helium inactive resides.

His encephalon is severely damaged but Jason hopes helium volition proceed to marque improvements.

“He’s not with america fully, but Martin has done truthful galore things helium shouldn’t person done; he’s gone against the atom with astir everything passim this full process,” helium said.

Jason bought a location successful April 2024, wherever helium hopes Martin tin determination to - but a fewer modifications are needed to marque it accessible.

The household launched a GoFundMe page to assistance with these costs, raising implicit £2,500 truthful far.

Jason said: “I’m going to beryllium perpetually looking for thing that clicks with him and arsenic soon arsenic I find thing that makes him happy, I’ll conscionable support connected doing it.”

Dr Manjeet Shehmar, aesculapian manager of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We recognise the immense interaction that this has had and continues to person connected Martin and his family.

“CNS vasculitis is an highly uncommon condition, affecting less than 1 idiosyncratic successful a million, and usually affects older patients.

“Because of the rarity of the condition, it is precise challenging to diagnose arsenic it presents with precise adaptable symptoms.

“It is usually diagnosed done encephalon biopsies; these are shared with consultants crossed the state for reappraisal and information successful bid to marque a diagnosis.”