AN “absolutely healthy” man has been left permanently brain damaged after suffering a headache at work.
Martin Griffiths was “full of energy” before he started to feel unwell on the job as a drainage engineer.
The 25-year-old was working alongside his dad Jason, 47, who said his son felt like he’d been “hit round the back of the head”.
Martin, from Boston, Lincolnshire, was quickly rushed to hospital, where he was initially diagnosed with a stroke.
Doctors later said he had a brain tumour and just three to six months to live.
But in a shock twist, a biopsy revealed there was no sign of cancer.
READ MORE ON HEALTH
Instead, Martin is now thought to have an “incredibly rare” form of inflammation of the brain, which affects less than one person in a million and is usually seen in the elderly.
After a procedure to eradicate the inflammation, Martin was placed in an induced coma.
His condition deteriorated to the point his whole family, including his mum Lyndsey Cheshire, 44, and his siblings Aaron, 23, Chelsey, 19, and Nathan, 13, gathered at his bedside after deciding to switch off his life support.
To doctors’ and his family’s surprise, Martin woke up a day later – and though he was in a vegetative state, he was able to engage with his eyes, and even move his lips to kiss his girlfriend, Jess Turner, 27.
Almost two years since the initial headache, Martin now lives in a care home.
But Jason hopes to bring him home soon, prompting the family to launch a GoFundMe page to help modify the house and make it accessible – as Martin will potentially need round-the-clock care for the rest of his life.
“This was very rapid. Whatever was going on in Martin’s head took hold and it was almost like his brain was on fire,” Jason said.
“What he has is incredibly rare; we were told the few cases there have been are generally in older people and they’re immediately put on to palliative care.”
Martin was an “outgoing” man who was “full of energy”, according to his dad, when he started to experience headaches one day at work on February 14, 2023.
“He described it as though he’d been hit round the back of the head,” Jason said.
Martin was taken to the Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, where a scan on his brain found a “pooling of blood” in the back of his head and he was placed on the stroke ward.
He soon started to feel “tired” and was “struggling to remember certain things”, Jason said, and he was referred to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham for further tests.
Martin was discharged with painkillers and asked to return if things worsened – but his family became increasingly concerned when he soon struggled to walk and take himself to the toilet.
It got to a point, over a week to 10 days, where it was like talking to a baby again
Jason
He was admitted to Queen’s Medical Centre in June 2023 and placed on the oncology ward, where he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Martin underwent a biopsy, where they cut his skull open and took away a piece of his brain for further testing.
While awaiting the results, Jason said the family were informed he would have three to six months to live.
“I remember thinking, ‘My world has ended here, this is it’,” Jason said.
He added that Martin wanted his family to “stop crying” and go on holidays and trips instead – but his condition deteriorated.
“It got to a point, over a week to 10 days, where it was like talking to a baby again,” Jason said.
The biopsy results then came back – but no cancer was found.
‘Worst day of my life’
Jason said his doctors started exploring the route of inflammation on the brain.
In July 2023, they proposed the leading theory that Martin could have primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS) – a type of CNS vasculitis, or inflammation of blood vessels in the brain.
“It’s incredibly rare, particularly at Martin’s age,” Jason said.
He then underwent a plasma exchange to eradicate the inflammation in his brain – a procedure which replaces the plasma within the blood.
Unfortunately, this had a “devastating” effect and he ended up in an induced coma on July 14, 2023.
“His body absolutely rejected the new plasma and over the next two days, he was critical,” Jason said.
It was thought he would not come round and the family made the decision to switch off Martin’s life support.
“All of Martin’s friends and family came to the ICU, about 21 of us,” Jason said.
“We went there prepared to say goodbye. It was definitely the worst day of my life.”
Martin continued to breathe on his own however, which astounded his loved ones and medical staff – especially when he woke up the next day on August 15, 2023.
“He fought so hard and he just didn’t go,” Jason said.
Martin was initially in a vegetative state but over the next few weeks he was able to move his eyes, wink, and even kiss his girlfriend Jess.
He was transferred to brain rehabilitation hospitals in Leicester and Lincoln, before being moved to a care home in August 2024, where he still resides.
His brain is severely damaged but Jason hopes he will continue to make improvements.
The 10 most common types of headache
WHEN was the last time you had a headache? Last weekend after too many pints? Yesterday at work in a stressful meeting? Or this morning before you had a cup of coffee?
Almost everyone gets headaches now and then. But have you ever stopped to think about what kind of headache you’ve been suffering from?
From stress and nerve pain to muscle tension and hormonal changes, it turns out there are more than 150 different types.
And because each has a different cause, each requires a different treatment.
Dr Unnati Desai, national GP lead at Nuffield Health, said: “There are multiple causes for headaches.
“Examples include stress, fatigue, muscle tension, hormonal changes, nerve pain, and the location of the pain and its intensity can vary.
“Each type of headache has certain characteristics, symptoms, signs and sometimes triggers.
“Some are straightforward, but you may require further investigation with your doctor to work out what the pain relates to.”
The 10 most common are:
- Tension
- Vision-induced
- Migraine
- Cluster
- Medication overuse
- Nerve pain
- Thunderclap
- Pressure
- Infection
- Trauma
You can read more about each one, and the best way to treat them, here.
“He’s not with us fully, but Martin has done so many things he shouldn’t have done; he’s gone against the grain with almost everything throughout this entire process,” he said.
Jason bought a house in April 2024, where he hopes Martin can move to – but a few modifications are needed to make it accessible.
The family launched a GoFundMe page to help with these costs, raising over £2,500 so far.
Jason said: “I’m going to be constantly looking for something that clicks with him and as soon as I find something that makes him happy, I’ll just keep on doing it.”
Dr Manjeet Shehmar, medical director of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We recognise the huge impact that this has had and continues to have on Martin and his family.
“CNS vasculitis is an extremely rare condition, affecting fewer than one person in a million, and usually affects older patients.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“Because of the rarity of the condition, it is very challenging to diagnose as it presents with very variable symptoms.
“It is usually diagnosed through brain biopsies; these are shared with consultants across the country for review and consideration in order to make a diagnosis.”