Biggleswade dad says thanks for helping save my life

A father to be who had his potentially fatal brain tumour detected by his local opticians, returned to the store during Brain Tumour Awareness Week for his latest routine eye test.

Adam Dilley, 32, booked an eye test at the Specsavers Biggleswade store in 2021 after experiencing painful headaches for several months.

He said: "I’d called NHS 111, been to hospital and spoken to my GP a number of times and was being treated for sinusitis but as I got increasingly concerned about my symptoms, I kept phoning the surgery insisting on a face-to-face appointment.

"Eventually, the doctor told me to make an appointment with the optician, which I did.”

Niraj Mavani, an optometrist at the store, spotted a swelling behind Adam’s eye, and immediately referred him to Bedford hospital.

Following the quick referral the hospital confirmed that Adam had a glioblastoma – one of most aggressive brain tumours.

He was referred to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge where he underwent an operation to remove as much of the tumour as they could.

Adam’s situation was filmed for the BBC programme ‘Surgeons at the edge of life’. He is now two years into a two-to-four-year period when the tumour could likely return.

Adam attends hospital every three months for his latest MRI scan to see if the tumour is still stable.

Niraj says: “We were delighted to see Adam looking so well. His experience shows that having a routine eye examination can reveal so much more than simply checking whether you have good vision or not.

“We have an OCT machine in store which can view the health of your eyes in much greater detail, meaning it can help detect issues much earlier than the signs may show.”

At the time of his diagnosis, Adam had a new baby on the way and had to leave work to undergo his life-saving treatment, leading Biggleswade Specsavers to donate £5,000 to Adam’s GoFundMe page.

Adam says: “It was a really tough time, but we are extremely grateful for all the support we’ve received from Specsavers, especially now we’re proud parents to Alfie who is nearly two years old.”

He adds: “I am relieved to say that after my last three-month check-up, the tumour is still stable. I can’t thank Specsavers Biggleswade enough for spotting something and referring me to Bedford hospital as quickly as they did.”

In February, the store fundraised for Brain Tumour Research charity by walking 10,000 steps a day across one month.

Kam Chana, director of Specsavers at Biggleswade Sainsbury’s, says: “We were all so touched by Adam’s diagnosis and wanted to help fundraise for a charity that is extremely close to him and his family.

“Seeing him again in-store was incredibly special, and we’re all delighted to see how well he is doing and that he is now a father to young Alfie. We wish them all the best in the future.”

The opticians prides itself on looking after the eyes and ears of the people of Biggleswade.

For further information, visit https://www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/biggleswade or call the store on 01767 314247.