Archie Goodburn: The Commonwealth Games swimmer who might not see 40

BBC News

4 days ago

A year ago, a poolside phone call changed Archie Goodburn's life.The Scottish 50m breaststroke record holder was dreaming of the Paris Olympics but his training had been hindered by some unusual factors. Seizures. Numbness on his left side. A feeling of deja-vu.He had undergone tests and his scan results were due. When he emerged from his latest session in Edinburgh's Commonwealth pool, his phone showed a missed call from an unknown number. He called back. The news that followed was devastating."It was a pretty unlikely time to get a phone call," Goodburn says, speaking this month at the family home in the capital."I had actually spoke to my mum first to ask if she had heard anything. She said the doctors had been in touch but she couldn't get anything out of them."It's a moment I'll never forget, when I sat down at the edge of the pool - the pool where I've trained my whole life - to find out there's a brain tumour."Goodburn had brain cancer. He was 22 years old. It's the biggest cancer killer of people under the age of 40. Further investigation, including biopsy surgery, revealed three 'low grade' tumours. Inoperable and unable to be removed given how they'd spread through his brain."It was utter shock," he says. "Going from a healthy, young person to suddenly being told you have this ticking time-bomb in your brain that could, from one day to the next, become significantly worse and that there's nothing we can do to stop it."
'I'm lucky... I've got time to shout about this disease'
It's particularly poignant when you consider this is an athlete in peak physical condition suddenly having to come to terms with their own mortality. "There are some potential advancements on the horizon and it's just whether or not these will come soon enough to help people like me who are facing the hard reality that they may not see their 40s."Imran Liaquat, Goodburn's neurosurgeon, says the prognosis can vary from three years to 20. Some live longer. Many don't. Accurate predictions are impossible and there is no cure.Brain cancer is - according to the Astro Brain Fund charity - the most fatal of all in terms of years lost, but investigations into it represent just 1% of the national spend on cancer research since record began. That, to Goodburn, is unacceptable. Undaunted by the battles to come, the young Scot is driven too.He is continuing to train for this summer's World University Games and is looking forward to the Commonwealths in Glasgow next summer, but is also determined to help raise awareness of brain cancer and its impact on young people.He's painfully aware that many others have significantly less time than him."I'm in the fortunate position where I haven't been diagnosed with a glioblastoma," he explains. "I don't have 12 to 16 months. I may have considerably longer. "Often people don't get anywhere near as long when they're diagnosed with brain cancer. They're not going to want to spend their time raising awareness. They're going to want to live each day and making the most of every hour they have. "I realise I'm in a position with my sport and with my diagnosis that I have time to shout about this horrible disease that takes so many lives."
As Goodburn offers an insight into what he, and many others, must face on a daily basis, a tear rolls down each cheek."I see the future in different ways on different days," he explains. "There are days when I wake up feeling positive and hoping things are going to be out there that can help. Other days, my eyes open and I remember I have brain cancer. There is an end-point to my life and it's much earlier than it should be."While he campaigns for more funding and better awareness, this extraordinary young man is drawing on the support of family and friends as he pursues his career as elite swimmer. He has a national title to defend this weekend and, despite everything, he'll be the strong favourite to retain the Scottish 50m breaststroke crown - live on the BBC Sport website, app & iPlayer - given he claimed silver at the British Championships in April. It's difficult for Goodburn to plan too far in advance, though, especially as he may now have to consider more aggressive forms of treatment such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, options he's managed to postpone thus far. "I want to keep going as long as I can and be in Glasgow for the next Commonwealth Games," he says. "I can live a pretty normal life at the moment but that's not to say that's something that's going to last and it won't be something that lasts."Watching Goodburn train at The Pleasance, alongside sister and fellow Commonwealth hopeful Katie, is long-time coach Mat Trodden.He can't quite fathom how his protege is not only still training at a high level, but getting results too. Within a month of his first surgery, he won that Scottish title. And at the end of last year, he equalled his PB at the world short course.But Goodburn isn't resting there. While he tackles head on all the difficult challenges life has landed him with, he's also allowing himself to dream."I'm dreaming of bettering myself," he says. "A diagnosis like this takes away the belief in yourself that you can be better than you were previously. Cancer is something that we look at as a downhill, slippery slope and in some ways it is. "But I dream of being better than the last time I tried to do something. That lights a wee fire in me when a lot of other things put the fire out. "Doing a personal best post-diagnosis is a huge dream of mine. Going on to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games would be massive. Fingers crossed I can look towards the next Olympics. "That depends on a lot of factors outside my control. I'm just going to keep going at this as long as I can and keep being Archie."If you have been affected by any of these issues, find support via the BBC Action Line