Man ‘is aware of how I’m going to die’ after recognizing change
David Smith initially dismissed his blurred vision and fatigue and put it down to spending lots of time watching TV at home after breaking his ribs
Paralympic rower David Smith, 47, initially brushed off his blurred vision and fatigue as side effects of excessive TV watching following a rib injury. He assumed he merely needed glasses and that his tiredness was due to his body healing.
However, after returning from a holiday in Jamaica, his family noticed a worrying change in his behaviour. The usually vibrant David seemed “withdrawn from the world” causing concern among his loved ones.
His friends also observed that he had become irritable, reclusive, and was not displaying his usual logical thinking. A visit to Chelsea hospital led to an emergency CT scan which revealed three brain tumours.
David was immediately taken into surgery for six hours to remove an orange-sized tumour. He has since undergone another life-saving operation to alleviate fluid build-up on his brain. Although the tumours are benign, David is currently receiving radiotherapy to reduce the size of the remaining two tumours.
Reflecting on his ordeal, the British Paralympic rower from Chelsea, London, said: “It wasn’t until I came home from being in Jamaica that my body really started to turn. On October 9, I took very unwell in London and have no real memory of the time.
“I was incredibly lucky to have family with me who noticed something was seriously wrong and got me into hospital. I was just not me at all, I started to recognise that. I was impulsive and so easily frustrated.
“The tumour basically invaded the space where emotion and logic come in to play, so that voice when you walk down a dark alley and think ‘this isn’t safe’ just wasn’t there at all. A quick scan later, a doctor sat me down and said the words – ‘you have three tumours inside your brain one of them is bigger than an orange’. I still can’t process that I flew home from Jamaica with that in my head, or that I could have died at any moment when I was out playing golf in Aviemore.”
David has been battling a growth on his spine – situated behind his Adam’s apple – since 2010. He received a diagnosis of a solid fibrous tumour, an uncommon growth that affects soft tissue and, whilst it was non-cancerous, it had actually spread.
This indicated that the remaining cells from the growth had separated and entered his bloodstream, eventually reaching David’s brain. David began experiencing blurred vision, exhaustion and headaches in August 2025. He ignored these symptoms until relatives urged him to seek medical attention in October.
David explained: “I could feel myself losing my hold on life and on October 10, I went in for my first brain surgery at Queen Square to remove the tumour. Five days later, I needed a second surgery to save my life from fluid blockages.”
He experienced short-term memory difficulties and speech issues following his operation. Medical staff explained this was caused by the location of the tumour in his brain, which had expanded and put pressure on his frontal lobe – responsible for personality, emotion and general logic.
David revealed he would be spending the remainder of his life attending check-ups, undergoing radiotherapy and facing potential surgeries, all dependent on how successful treatments prove in eliminating any traces of tumours. Following an eight-day hospital stay, he returned home with his wife Angela, 45, to begin his recovery on October 16.
He explained: “Those early days were a blur. I couldn’t make decisions or understand what was happening and was completely exhausted, but I was surrounded by loved ones who stepped in and carried me through it. Recovery on the ward was hard and the nights even longer, but I’ve felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for life more than ever before.
“I lay awake reflecting on everything I’ve lived, in case it was all about to end. My biggest takeaway is my friends. That’s what matters most to me and it’s what helped me the most the last few weeks. Growing up in the Highlands, being connected to Scotland the people, the mountains, the nature, the community all of it has filled me with joy and strength.”
Following a week at home, he managed his first outdoor stroll.
David admitted: “It is hard for me because I know how I am going to die. My brain tumour keeps coming back.”
David’s brain tumour has reached stage 2, but after a 15-year battle with recurring tumours, he understands his fight is nowhere near finished. He expressed: “When you get diagnosed, there is no coping strategy, they might give you some time, or show you the research, but there is no therapy, no help. I have good friends and family, but I don’t let them become my carers – there are therapists for that and I just want to enjoy my time with them.
“It makes my coffee in the morning taste different. I know I am alive and I know I would have died if it wasn’t for the doctors. You just have to turn your perspective around, appreciate the time you have left, and really see the beauty in life.”
