'My son had two-week headache and then things just kept going wrong'

The mother of a 24-year-old man who has undergone 10 operations says it remains uncertain "how much of his life" he will recover as he battles memory loss and vision difficulties. Rachel Wilson-Glover, 56, said her son, Flynn Brooks, began experiencing ill health in July this year and after suffering a headache for a fortnight, accompanied by blurred vision, she encouraged him to get medical attention. Following a referral for a CT scan, Flynn, who studied games programming at university and was employed in data entry, was discovered to have a mass in his brain which was subsequently diagnosed as a non-cancerous tumour – and he was booked in for an operation to remove it in August. Rachel, a team manager of a day service for adults with learning disabilities and autism from Bedhampton, Hampshire, said numerous complications arose after the procedure, including a fluid accumulation on her son's brain, discomfort, confusion and sickness – and Flynn "crashed" twice and required placement on life support. Flynn, who had been living in his own flat in Southsea, Portsmouth, underwent a further nine procedures to insert drains and shunts in his head with the goal of addressing the complications, and he is now struggling with memory loss and vision problems as he gradually starts to recover. "He's still my Flynn, he's still my boy, he's still got a sense of humour – he's just got to adapt to a different way of life now," Rachel said. "We don't know if his eyesight is going to come back properly, we don't know if his memory is going to return. We don't know how much of his life he is going to get back or what he'll need in the future – those are the scary things and that's all unknown at the moment. Flynn didn't drink, he didn't smoke, he's polite. He's a gorgeous young man who has faced the hardest part of his life with such bravery and I'm so proud of him." Rachel explained that Flynn began feeling unwell in July this year, initially believing it was just a virus. After enduring a persistent headache for a fortnight, Rachel encouraged him to seek medical attention and he attended A&E, where doctors suspected it was a migraine . However, when Flynn's symptoms persisted - and his vision began to blur - Rachel insisted he visit his GP. Flynn was then referred for a CT scan on July 24 at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, where doctors discovered a mass in his brain. "I was at work, sitting in a meeting, when Flynn phoned me to say they had found something on his CT scan – I was in utter shock," Rachel said, explaining she immediately rushed to the hospital to be with her son. She said the pair were then transferred by ambulance to University Hospital Southampton. After undergoing further tests and an MRI scan, it was revealed on July 26 that Flynn had a non-cancerous brain tumour. Despite being scheduled for surgery to remove the tumour, the procedure was expedited due to his "endless pain". "He was suffering so much – he came to live with me because he was so unwell at that point," said Rachel. Rachel and Flynn were asked to return to the hospital on August 4 – Flynn's 24th birthday – and he underwent a craniotomy to remove the tumour on August 5. "It was very, very, scary, but he took it all in his stride, he was so brave," Rachel recalled. Following the operation, Flynn began to experience several complications indicative of hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid in the brain, as well as pain, confusion and vomiting. To address the issue, Flynn underwent a further nine surgical procedures, according to Rachel. These included eight operations to install and replace the drains in Flynn's head after they became blocked, and one to fit two internal brain shunts – a thin tube which allows excess fluid to flow to another part of the body, usually the stomach. "Things just kept going wrong," Rachel admitted. Flynn suffered from a brain infection, which added to the complications. He also "crashed" twice, ending up in intensive care on life support after his condition rapidly deteriorated – first on August 22 and again on September 16. "They were the most horrendous moments of my life, every day I prayed I would get him back," Rachel said. "He survived and pulled through both crashes, which was incredible." She continued: "Ultimately, Flynn is still here because of the hospital, but I initially felt as though people weren't listening when I kept saying 'he's not right' and he seemed to be getting worse. No one expected all of these complications, though, and it's very unusual, he's a very unusual case." Rachel revealed that she eventually contacted University Hospital Southampton via its Call for Concern service, in accordance with Martha's Rule, to express her worries about her son's unstable condition. Martha's Rule is an NHS patient safety initiative aimed at early detection of deterioration, where patients, families and carers are actively encouraged to inform staff if they fear a health condition is worsening. They might spot minor changes that could serve as early warning signs of deterioration before they become apparent in routine measurements. If, after discussing with the care team, they remain concerned and feel their worries are not being addressed, they can ring a dedicated number for a swift review from a different team, according to the NHS. "It's there for a reason," Rachel said. "Flynn remained brave throughout, he never complained and he went with everything they said. I was his advocate because he's such a mild-mannered, polite young man, and I'm a very strong woman." Rachel revealed Flynn was now battling short-term memory loss and vision difficulties. "He gets confused, but he still knows a lot of things, his long-term memories are there, he knows who people are and he can identify things," Rachel explained. "For his short-term memory, he'll do something and he can't remember what's just happened." Rachel said Flynn was "up and walking", though she believes his eyesight problems are making him "unsteady on his feet". "His last surgery was on October 1, so it's still quite early and his body is still recovering," she added. Flynn is currently recuperating at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, awaiting referral for a rehabilitation programme designed to enhance his cognitive and physical abilities. Rachel has set up a GoFundMe page to provide Flynn with "a really good fresh start when it comes", which has already raised more than £6,500. A spokesperson for University Hospital Southampton said: "We are always sorry to hear that a patient or their family feel dissatisfied with any element of care they have received in our hospital. We want our patients and their relatives to feel heard and actively encourage people to raise concerns so that we can address any issues. "We have a dedicated Patient Advice and Liaison Service (Pals) to help resolve matters. However, where complaints are made by, or on behalf of, an inpatient we always recommend that conversations are had directly with the medical teams involved in the first instance, to help resolve matters swiftly. "Our trust was among the first to implement Call for Concern, incorporating Martha's Rule – a system that enables patients and their families or carers who are worried about a patient's condition deteriorating, to seek an urgent review from a different clinical team. While we never comment on individual cases in order to protect patient confidentiality, the trust is committed to working with any patient, their family or carer who has worries and concerns they feel remain unresolved."