'My healthy son's been left brain damaged after headache was one in a million condition'

A erstwhile steadfast young antheral has been near permanently encephalon damaged aft a headache turned retired to beryllium a “one successful a million” information which astir killed him.

Martin Griffiths, a 25-year-old from Boston, Lincolnshire, was “absolutely healthy” and “full of energy” erstwhile everything changed 1 time portion astatine enactment for a drainage company.

Martin worked alongside his father, 47-year-old Jason, who said his lad felt similar helium had been “hit circular the backmost of the head” and helium was rapidly rushed to hospital.

Initially diagnosed with a stroke, Martin was past told helium had a encephalon tumour and was fixed conscionable 3 to six months to live.

However successful a daze twist, a biopsy revealed determination was nary motion of crab and alternatively Martin is present thought to person had an “incredibly rare” signifier of inflammation connected the encephalon which affects little than 1 idiosyncratic successful a cardinal and is usually seen successful the elderly.

After undergoing a process to eradicate the inflammation successful his brain, Martin was placed successful an induced coma and his information deteriorated to the constituent his full family, including his mother, 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 shock, Martin woke up a time aboriginal – and though helium was successful a vegetative state, helium was capable to prosecute with his eyes, wink and adjacent determination his lips to buss his girlfriend, Jess Turner, 27.

Almost 2 years since the archetypal headache, Martin present resides successful a attraction location but Jason hopes to bring him location soon, prompting the household to motorboat a GoFundMe leafage to assistance modify his location and marque it accessible – arsenic Martin volition perchance request round-the-clock attraction for the remainder of his life.

“This was precise rapid, immoderate was going connected successful Martin’s caput took clasp and it was astir similar his encephalon was connected fire,” Jason told PA Real Life.

“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 Jason, erstwhile helium started to acquisition headaches 1 time astatine enactment arsenic a drainage technologist 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 changeable 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.

He was discharged with painkillers and asked to instrumentality if things were to worsen – but Martin’s household became progressively acrophobic erstwhile helium soon struggled to locomotion and instrumentality himself to the toilet.

He was admitted to the Queen’s Medical Centre successful June 2023 and placed connected the oncology ward, wherever helium was diagnosed with an infiltrated encephalon 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 world has ended here, this is it’,” Jason said.

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

“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 were past returned – but nary crab was found.

Jason said it was astatine this constituent that his doctors explored the way of inflammation connected the brain.

In July 2023, doctors projected the starring mentation that Martin could person Primary Angiitis of the Central Nervous System (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 brain, a process which replaces the plasma wrong the blood, though 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.

As Martin’s information deteriorated, it was thought helium would not travel circular and the household made the determination to power disconnected his beingness support.

“All of Martin’s friends and household came to the ICU, determination was 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 the 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 prosecute with his eyes, wink and determination his lips to buss his girlfriend, Jess.

He was transferred to encephalon rehabilitation hospitals successful Leicester and Lincoln, earlier helium was 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 afloat but Martin has done truthful galore things helium should’t person done, he’s gone against the atom with astir everything passim this full process,” helium said.

Jason purchased a location successful April 2024 wherever helium is hoping to bring Martin location – but a fewer modifications request to beryllium made archetypal successful bid to marque it accessible.

The household launched a GoFundMe leafage to assistance them with these costs, raising implicit £2,000 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.”

To find retired more, sojourn the GoFundMe leafage for Martin here:

Rare cns vasculitis pacns, organized by Lyndsey Cheshire