Father-of-two 'smelled like bleach' before 'dark shadow' was found on his brain
A father-of-two who received a diagnosis of an inoperable brain tumour after noticing the smell of bleach has urged others in similar situations to 'hold on to hope and positivity in whatever way you can'.
Sam Suriakumar, 40, was in his bathroom one day in February 2020 when the unusual scent of a cleaning product 'almost filled up (his) mouth', leaving him feeling lightheaded. Initially assuming his wife Sindhu had recently been cleaning, Sam dismissed the symptom as likely nothing.
But when the keen fitness enthusiast attended his gym session the next day, the peculiar odour and wooziness returned. During his homeward journey, Sam, a Worcester Park resident, suffered a 'massive grand mal seizure' whilst travelling on the London Underground.
Emergency services transported him to the hospital for examination, where medics identified a 'large shadow' on the left side of his brain. He was later diagnosed with a brain tumour on February 4, 2020.
"The smell of ammonia, bleach or some sort of cleaning agent was almost filling up my mouth, it was really strong," he said. "I felt like I needed to lean against the wall and use the radiator to stand, I felt very strange."
Looking back on his seizure, Sam then added: "I closed my eyes and it felt like half an hour went by, but we had only moved one stop...I'd seized up so bad that I dislocated my shoulder."
Whilst the mass remained stable for around two years, Sam received the heartbreaking news in 2023 that it had grown towards the front of his brain. The tumour's location in areas crucial for speech, memory, and movement renders surgical intervention nearly impossible.
So, Sam instead underwent 30 sessions of radiotherapy and nine months of chemotherapy to try to halt its growth. His tumour is now in a monitoring phase, and Sam will have scans every six months to better understand the impacts of the treatment.
On July 26, Sam celebrated his 40th birthday, a milestone he didn't think he would reach. He has tried to turn his situation into 'something positive', aiming to encourage and inspire others.
"I'm trying to use my experience to inspire people and turn this into something positive, rather than letting it define me as this poor guy with a sad story," Sam told PA Real Life. "I want to provide encouragement and inspiration to others, in that we can fight and we don't have to let it define us.
"Hold on to hope and positivity in whatever way you can." In 2023, Sam participated in the London Marathon to fundraise for Brain Tumour Research, and through various initiatives, he has raised approximately £60,000 for charity thus far.
To further spread awareness, he took on the role of a supporter ambassador for Brain Tumour Research in 2023, which led him to engage in public speaking and recount his personal experiences.
For others in his situation, Sam said he would send them a 'massive hug'. "Your brain talks to every single part of your body and it's so important to have a positive mindset," he said. "It's not going to come every single day, but try to find those things that inspire and encourage you to help you move forward."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'People thought I was drunk on my commute - the truth was far more sinister'
When John Starns suddenly felt unwell and had to get off his train in Sevenoaks, Kent, commuters believed he was drunk but the slump and sweats were signs of cancer Commuters thought a man who was slumped on a bench at a train station was drunk - but his state was actually the first signs of a brain tumour. Following the episode, John Starns, 63, saw his doctor ,who initially told the man had vertigo and his distressing diagnosis wasn't for a further three months. MRI scan showed the vestibular schwannoma brain mass, which was benign, and so John now must have scans every two years to monitor. John suddenly felt unwell on his commute for central London and so he got off the train at Sevenoaks, Kent, where other passengers assumed he was drunk. John, who is a freelance photographer, was slumped and sweating on a bench for two hours at the station. His experience comes after a doctor had a dire warning to people who drink even a "single cup of tea" each day. Recalling the train journey, John, who is from Sutton Valence, Kent, said today: "It felt as though I was having a panic attack. I was disorientated and it became difficult to walk. I found a bench and sat there for two hours, alone. "No one approached me, I suspect because they thought I was drunk. It was a scary process, the MRI and hearing the words brain tumour, but I will never forget the emotional release when the nurse told me my tumour was benign." The commute - the first signs of any illness - happened in February 2022. John was eventually diagnosed with the cancer later that year but the tumour is stable. He said: "So far, scans have showed my tumour as stable, and I barely suffer with any side effects. I am one of the lucky ones, but this isn't about me." John, a keen cyclist, is now passionate about fundraising and is supporting with Brain Tumour Research. He is gearing up for Cycle 274 Miles in August, a month-long fundraiser. He said: "I'm committing to this cycle challenge to raise awareness of the disease and the desperate inadequacies that currently exist in the historic underfunding of brain tumours compared to other cancers. "I cycle up to 20 miles a day, so I'll have no problems reaching the 274-mile target. My story could have ended differently. That's the reality for others. My hope is that by supporting Brain Tumour Research, more people will benefit from the advances in research."## Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: "John's story is not uncommon, brain tumours are indiscriminate and can affect anyone at any age. "One in three people in the UK knows someone affected by a brain tumour but Brain Tumour Research is working to change this. It's with the support of people like John who will help us drive investment towards research into brain tumours. Good luck John."
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Father-of-two 'smelled like bleach' before 'dark shadow' was found on his brain
Sam Suriakumar was in his bathroom when the smell of a cleaning agent 'almost filled up (his) mouth' A father-of-two who received a diagnosis of an inoperable brain tumour after noticing the smell of bleach has urged others in similar situations to 'hold on to hope and positivity in whatever way you can'. Sam Suriakumar, 40, was in his bathroom one day in February 2020 when the unusual scent of a cleaning product 'almost filled up (his) mouth', leaving him feeling lightheaded. Initially assuming his wife Sindhu had recently been cleaning, Sam dismissed the symptom as likely nothing. But when the keen fitness enthusiast attended his gym session the next day, the peculiar odour and wooziness returned. During his homeward journey, Sam, a Worcester Park resident, suffered a 'massive grand mal seizure' whilst travelling on the London Underground. Emergency services transported him to the hospital for examination, where medics identified a 'large shadow' on the left side of his brain. He was later diagnosed with a brain tumour on February 4, 2020. "The smell of ammonia, bleach or some sort of cleaning agent was almost filling up my mouth, it was really strong," he said. "I felt like I needed to lean against the wall and use the radiator to stand, I felt very strange." Looking back on his seizure, Sam then added: "I closed my eyes and it felt like half an hour went by, but we had only moved one stop...I'd seized up so bad that I dislocated my shoulder." Whilst the mass remained stable for around two years, Sam received the heartbreaking news in 2023 that it had grown towards the front of his brain. The tumour's location in areas crucial for speech, memory, and movement renders surgical intervention nearly impossible. So, Sam instead underwent 30 sessions of radiotherapy and nine months of chemotherapy to try to halt its growth. His tumour is now in a monitoring phase, and Sam will have scans every six months to better understand the impacts of the treatment. On July 26, Sam celebrated his 40th birthday, a milestone he didn't think he would reach. He has tried to turn his situation into 'something positive', aiming to encourage and inspire others. "I'm trying to use my experience to inspire people and turn this into something positive, rather than letting it define me as this poor guy with a sad story," Sam told PA Real Life. "I want to provide encouragement and inspiration to others, in that we can fight and we don't have to let it define us. "Hold on to hope and positivity in whatever way you can." In 2023, Sam participated in the London Marathon to fundraise for Brain Tumour Research, and through various initiatives, he has raised approximately £60,000 for charity thus far. To further spread awareness, he took on the role of a supporter ambassador for Brain Tumour Research in 2023, which led him to engage in public speaking and recount his personal experiences. For others in his situation, Sam said he would send them a 'massive hug'. "Your brain talks to every single part of your body and it's so important to have a positive mindset," he said. "It's not going to come every single day, but try to find those things that inspire and encourage you to help you move forward."
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Father-of-two with inoperable brain tumour warns others about the strange symptom he ignored
A fit and healthy father-of-two received a devastating brain tumour diagnosis after a bizarre symptom triggered a violent seizure—a lasting smell of bleach. Sam Suriakumar, 40, from London, didn't think much of it the first time he smelled the strong ammonia-like chemical, assuming that his wife, Sindu, had just cleaned the bathroom. 'The smell of ammonia, bleach or some sort of cleaning agent was almost filling up my mouth, it was really strong,' he recalled. 'I felt like I needed to lean against the wall to stand, I felt very strange but didn't think much of it.' But, when the strong smell returned the following morning whilst he was working out outdoors, accompanied by a bout of dizziness, alarm bells began to ring. On the tube home, the musician suffered a violent grand mal seizure—also known as a tonic-clonic seizure—which causes a person's muscles to stiffen and their limbs to jerk uncontrollably as they lose consciousness. Recalling the lead up to the events, Mr Suriakumar said he felt drained of energy on his commute home on the busy Northern Line of the London Underground. 'I closed my eyes and it felt like half an hour went by, but we had only moved one stop,' he said. He closed his eyes once more, hoping to drift off on his journey home, but to his surprise he woke up 48 hours later at St George's Hospital, Tooting. He said: 'My medical team told me that I had suffered a massive grand mal seizure. 'I seized so bad that I dislocated my shoulder,' he added. The father-of-two was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, during which time he suffered two more seizures. After a series of tests including a CT scan which showed a 'large shadow' across the left side of his brain, he was diagnosed with a brain tumour, which doctors suspected was a low grade glioma on February 4 2024. When he was told that the tumour was covering the part of his brain responsible for speech, movement and memory, he said his whole world 'spiralled out of control.' 'My mind went straight to my girls, who were only three and five at the time,' he said. 'All of a sudden, your priorities become very clear.' Despite Mr Suriakumar being 'in the best shape of his life', doctors were hesitant to operate on the tumour. Instead, they decided to go for a less invasive approach, treating Mr Suriakumar symptoms rather than the tumour itself. 'It was a case of not wanting to poke the bear,' he added. For two years his condition remained stable, enabling him to run the London Marathon in 2023 to raise money for Brain Tumour Research and becomes a support ambassador raising £60,000 to date. However, in July 2023 when he was in Brazil for a wedding, Mr Suriakumar received a sobering call from his neurosurgeon: the tumour had grown. 'It knocked me to my feet,' the musician recalled. Shortly after flying home, he underwent surgery to have some of the tumour removed—which confirmed a diffuse oligodendroglioma, a type of glioma which is often benign but can become cancerous. Just two weeks later, he started the first of 30 gruelling rounds of radiotherapy at the Royal Marsden Hospital. This was followed by nine long months of chemotherapy, which the father-of-two successfully completed in September last year. Determined not to give up and lose faith, the avid gym-goer completed the HYROX indoor fitness competition in Belgium just six months later—tackling eight kilometers of running and eight functional workout exercises. His medical team are now closely monitoring his condition through regular scans every six months to better understand the impact of the treatment, in what Mr Suriakumar described as a 'sitting on the fence' phase. Looking back, he said: 'Brain tumours are the biggests killers of children and adults before the age of 40, so reaching that milestone on July 26 was a big deal for me.' He is now urging anyone in a similar situation to stay positive. He said: 'Your brain talks to every single part of your body and it's so important to have a positive mindset. 'It's not going to come every single day, but try to find those things that inspire and encourage you to move forward.' Over 12,000 patients in Britain are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year, with about half of these cases being cancerous. Glioblastomas, one of the deadliest types of brain tumour, have been highlighted in recent years after killing a number of famous faces. The disease, which is the most common type of cancerous brain tumour in adults, killed the Labour politician Dame Tessa Jowell in 2018. And in March 2022, The Wanted singer Tom Parker died following an 18-month battle with the cancer.
