Nathan Jack, 29, has had to put off his wedding to his fiancée, Natalie Wharton, for the past two years now because of his cluster headaches.
When Jack was just a teen, he was diagnosed with and treated for a brain tumor. Although doctors were successful in removing the growth, he was left with a debilitating side effect: cluster headaches. These headaches occur in patterns and often grow behind a patient’s eye.
For years, Jack was able to field this pain and carry on with his life.
But about three years ago, his symptoms suddenly became much more intense. “It feels like a red hot poker trying to push my eye out,” he said. “My eyes start streaming, I start kicking and screaming, and sometimes I even black out.”
These painful, headachy fits have forced Jack to give up a lot of his usual activities: going to the gym, grabbing drinks with friends, and socializing with others in general. He and Wharton have returned to living with his parents and have also tabled their wedding plans.
The couple has visited many doctors, multiple times, but Jack has yet to find a medication or other preventive treatment method that helps him endure these waves of pain.
Jack is hoping to undergo surgery soon, as his headaches have progressed to the point where they now cause him to uncontrollably punch himself in the head because of the pain.
He, Wharton, and the rest of his family have since created a JustGiving page, not only in hopes of raising enough money to fund the private surgery Jack needs for treatment, but also to raise awareness about the condition.
Jack has shared a video of one of his headache episodes online for this purpose. “The response has been absolutely incredible, and it means a lot to know I’m getting through to people,” Jack said.
You can watch the clip here. Warning: Viewer discretion is advised; some might find the footage disturbing.
