Sam Suriakumar was diagnosed with a brain tumour just before the coronavirus pandemic saw the UK under lockdown.
Together with his family, he was planning to take part in Brain Tumour Research’s Wear A Hat Day and despite the massive changes we were all facing they managed to raise nearly £8,000 through his JustGiving page to help us improve patient outcomes and, ultimately, find a cure.
The self-employed recruitment consultant and part-time musician was taken ill with a grand mal seizure on a tube train as he returned to his home in Worcester Park, Surrey, from Central London. Rescued by a stranger and taken to hospital, he underwent a number of tests and was diagnosed with a glioma. Sam is now waiting to hear if he will require a biopsy and possibly chemotherapy.
Sam, who is 33 and married to Sindhu, a GP working in the NHS, is homeschooling the couple’s daughters Avaana, five, and Arya, three. He said: “When I was first told I had a brain tumour my biggest fear was that I would not get to spend time with my wife and our two precious daughters; they are my whole world. Now, during the lockdown, I have all the time in the world and I feel this is a gift and I am doing my utmost to make the best of it. I am being a full-time dad, teaching the girls their lessons and baking banana bread!”
A Sri Lankan Tamil, Sam says his diagnosis has brought him closer to his family and to God and helped him to identify the things in life which are most important to him. He hopes the current restrictions to our lives will help other people find a similar focus.
Related Reading:
- Sam’s case study
- Sam’s story in Asian Images
If you found this story interesting or helpful, sign up to our weekly e-news and keep up to date with all the latest from Brain Tumour Research.