Andrew Llewelyn was a bit of a clown. He was known among his friends and family as someone who always had a one liner ready, and someone who often would crack a joke.
He was just getting ready to get married last July when he noticed a change in himself.
His mood shifted, and suddenly he found it difficult to remember the words he wanted.
“I couldn’t find the right words and it started to really affect me,” said Andrew. “It was really hard. I like making people laugh and having a bit of fun with people but I couldn’t.
“I would find I would start a joke, with four or five people around me, but couldn’t find the punch line and I’d have to stop.”
He went to his doctor in September. His test results came back clear, however, and doctors said his confusion was due to recent weight loss and stress.
But he continued to struggle, and went to his bachelor party still self-conscious about his challenges with speaking.
He suffered a seizure at his bachelor party. He was sent to the emergency room, and given a CT scan.
They found an egg-sized tumor on his brain, which had been pressing on the part of the organ that controls speech.
“As unusual as it sounds, when they told me I was relieved,” said Andrew. “I finally knew what had been wrong all along.”
He had emergency surgery to have the cyst removed, and his fiancée, Sian, immediately noticed a positive difference.
They’ve since discovered that the cyst was cancerous, meaning he’ll need more treatment. In the meantime, he plans to get married on New Years Eve.
