Worrying sign that led a healthy 20-year-old security guard to uncover an unusual, golf ball-sized cancer behind his right eye
A 20-year-old Townsville guy is seeking counseling in the US after terrible diagnosis
Kayden Waddell has a rare ‘golf-sized growth’ in his brain adjacent to a major artery
He had surgery in June where his skull was opened – now faces additional operations
His mum Loron Waddell claimed her son is ‘absolutely magnificent’ in the face of all of it
Funds are being donated to aid the mother with bills as she cares for her son
A 20-year-old who went to the optometrist after feeling headaches is in the fight of his life after a ‘golf-sized tumour’ was detected behind his right eye.
Security guard Kayden Waddell thought he was just getting headaches last June when a Townsville optometrist told him his eye had suffered significant nerve damage – and sent him directly to a doctor.
Since then Mr Waddell has been on a long, painful path, where two pieces of his skull were removed and stitched back together with 40 staples in a dangerous surgery.
Mr Waddell aims to battle the malignancy using ground-breaking Proton radiation therapy for ‘hard to reach tumours’ – a method of treatment that is only accessible in Florida, in the US (shown, an X-ray of the tumour) (pictured, an X-ray of the tumour)
Kayden Waddell (pictured) claimed he was astonished and afraid after the tumour finding
Loron Waddell (pictured, with her son) claimed it was horrible to watch him go through the process but that her boy’s resilience is ‘absolutely wonderful’
But he aims to conquer the disease with ground-breaking Proton radiation therapy for ‘hard to reach malignancies’ – a sort of treatment that is only available in the state of Florida in the US.
‘I was honestly stunned from thinking it was just a headache or migraine to then finding out I had a tumour the size of a golf ball that needed to be removed ASAP, I was afraid,’ he said.
The young man endured a craniotomy in June where physicians removed 50 per cent of the uncommon malignancy in a life-threatening operation.
The rest of it had to stay as the tumour is in a risky location adjacent to the carotid artery, which houses the major blood veins in the neck that feed blood to the brain, neck, and face.
Mr Waddell (shown, undergoing a scan) has been on a long, painful path but is hopeful of getting better with the therapy in the US on the horizon
The prognosis was encouraging but Mr Waddell faces another gut-wrenching treatment with surgeons in Adelaide who want to pull more of the cancer out.
‘I’m frightened to have to go through that process again. It was one of the worst things I have ever encountered,’ he claimed.
‘I was in horrible pain … but the first one went so well, so it still gives me some optimism that I will heal just as well.’
His mum Loron Waddell told Daily Mail Australia it was horrible to watch him go through the process but added her boy’s perseverance is ‘absolutely incredible’.
‘I’m anxious, scared and I wish it was me and that I could take everything away for him,’ Ms Waddell said.
‘He’s never once said ‘why him’, or ‘this isn’t fair’.’
Ms Waddell said her son has gone ahead, resolute, as he believes ‘he’s strong and he can manage this’ and ‘he’s just going on with life’.
His health has had a ‘huge impact’ on the family of five so a GoFundMe page was launched to pay for Ms Waddell’s bills as she has had to take unpaid leave from work to care for her son.
The security officer had surgery in June where two pieces of his skull were removed and stitched back together with 40 staples in a dangerous surgery (pictured, Mr Waddell in hospital) (pictured, Mr Waddell in hospital)