'I thought I had the flu - then doctors told me I had 12 months to live'

A lorry driver who initially believed he was suffering from flu or COVID-19 was shocked to discover that his symptoms were actually due to a brain tumour — and he was given just 12 months to live.

Kieran Shingler, 26, began experiencing symptoms such as a headache, sore throat, and runny nose on Bonfire Night in 2022. After testing negative for COVID-19, Kieran and his girlfriend, Abbie Henstock, 26, dismissed his symptoms as merely the flu. However, as weeks passed, Kieran's condition worsened, and he found himself unable to keep food down. His GP advised him to visit Warrington Hospital in Cheshire, where doctors initially suspected meningitis. However, a CT scan revealed a mass on his brain.

Kieran was subsequently transferred to the Walton Centre in Liverpool, where he underwent four procedures, including a biopsy. The results revealed that he had a grade three astrocytoma, a rapidly growing cancerous tumour.

Following radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments, which initially shrank the tumour, Kieran was devastated to learn from his most recent scan that the tumour had begun to grow again.

Reflecting on his diagnosis, Kieran, from Warrington, Cheshire, said: "When I was diagnosed with a brain tumour, I was scared, angry, and always questioned why."

He added: "I couldn't have got through the past couple of years without the support of my friends and family, but especially my mum and Abbie.

"They always made sure to put me before themselves, and I will always be so grateful.

"Abbie especially has stuck by my side and remained strong for me as I lost my mum last year. I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for her."

Kieran was battling flu-like symptoms - including general fatigue, pounding headaches, a congested nose, and a painful throat.

Following a negative COVID test, the pair attributed Kieran's illness to the flu, but his condition continued to deteriorate.

Abbie, a communications officer from Warrington, Cheshire, said: "Kieran just wasn't getting any better; he couldn't keep food down, and he was getting excruciating headaches.

"He was so fit, he was doing a triathlon, working out, we just knew something wasn't right - this wasn't Kieran."

On November 21, Kieran's mum, Lisa, who passed away last year, aged 52, contacted the doctor, who advised that he attend Warrington Hospital.

There, he underwent a CT scan, which revealed a mass on the brain, and was rushed by ambulance to the Walton Centre, Liverpool.

Abbie said: "Kieran had an MRI scan and they told us that the tumour was blocking fluid from going to his spine.

"They said he would need an emergency endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) - a procedure used to treat hydrocephalus, a condition where cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain's ventricle."

The operation proved successful, and Kieran began to recover. He was subsequently taken for a craniotomy to reduce the size of the tumour and take a biopsy.

Following this operation, Kieran now suffers from short-term memory loss, a side effect of this invasive procedure.

Whilst awaiting the results of the biopsy, Kieran began experiencing fever and intense pain.

Doctors revealed that the ETV had failed, leading to his readmission to the Walton Centre for surgery to fit an external shunt - a medical device used to divert fluid from one area of the body to another.

On December 29, 2022, just an hour before Kieran was due to undergo surgery to have a permanent shunt installed, his family received the devastating news that he had a grade three astrocytoma - a rapidly growing cancerous tumour.

Abbie disclosed: "Until this point, they hadn't told us the results of the biopsy, as it was near Christmas.

"But on December 29, we found out it was cancer - a fast-growing tumour, but they couldn't be certain what grade.

"An hour later, he went down for surgery to fit a permanent shunt - It was all a blur."

On January 5, 2023, Kieran met with an oncologist at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool.

He was informed he would undergo 30 sessions of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which concluded in February 2023, with MRI and CT scans indicating the tumour was shrinking.

Kieran had a month off treatment to rest before he was scheduled to have six more cycles of a higher dose of chemotherapy. However, in July 2023, he was informed that the treatment had ceased to work and the tumour was growing again.

Abbie revealed: "When we found out that the tumour was starting to grow again, they put Kieran on another dose of chemotherapy called lomustine.

"The scans showed that the chemotherapy was working and the tumour started to shrink again."

In November 2023, Kieran had to halt treatment due to signs of liver damage.

Given that the liver can regenerate itself, he merely needed a break from treatment, and each scan he attended indicated that the tumour was continuing to diminish.

Abbie stated: "At every three-monthly scan we attended, we were told that his tumour was shrinking and shrinking.

"It had started at 5.5cm and the smallest it got to was 0.35cm with 19 months of no treatment!".

"But at his most recent scan in June 2025, we were told his tumour had started to grow again."

The couple established the online fundraising page Kieran's Krew - initially to raise money for brain tumour charities - but it has evolved into much more.

Kieran, his family, and friends have raised over £52k for various brain tumour charities, including the Brain Tumour Charity, and to fund different therapies at home, such as an oxygen machine and red light.

The link to the funding page can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/kierans-krew-kieran-shingler.