Man’s numbness on right side of body was sign of deadly brain tumor

By Elizabeth Little

A man died after numbness on the right side of his body while skiing turned out to be a stage four brain tumor.

Matt Ticehurst, 34, was on a skiing holiday in France in February 2022 when his right side went numb and he began feeling sick.

He didn't realize at the time he had actually suffered a seizure.

The episodes continued throughout the day and on the flight home.

Back in the UK, his annual health check came back completely normal, yet the seizures kept coming, nearly every day, interrupting the runs he did to and from work.

Three months later, an MRI scan revealed a six-centimeter tumor in his brain.

A craniotomy along with chemotherapy and radiotherapy kept the cancer at bay initially, but it returned in February 2025 and Matt passed in January 2026.

His wife, Kirsty Maund, 30, said: "He didn't know it was a seizure when it happened, but he was feeling really sick and his right-hand side was numb.

"Matt was a very fit man and he ran to work all the time, but he had to keep stopping on his runs because of the seizures.

"It was a huge shock.

"The neurologist put him on steroids immediately and he was referred for surgery.

"Matt’s attitude was typical of him, he said it was OK, bad things happen to people all the time, and he just got on with things."

Matt underwent an awake craniotomy that July, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Despite the gruelling treatment, he ran the Bath Half Marathon in Spring 2023 and completed the London Marathon in 2024 in just over four hours.

After 18 months of stable scans, he suffered a seizure on a flight home from his stag-do in Lisbon in February 2025.

A scan at Charing Cross Hospital confirmed the cancer had returned as two new tumors.

Kirsty said: "Matt needed to have a second awake craniotomy.

"He unfortunately ended up with a long recovery period, in and out of hospital due to a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak.

"It was unfortunate timing, with our planned wedding date in May.

More from this section

Man’s numbness on right side of body was sign of deadly brain tumor

Apps and trackers boost exercise for people with heart disease

Left behind: Why small-town Americans are waiting longer for healthcare

"However, we still managed to have a beautiful smaller ceremony with close friends and family.

"After Matt’s second craniotomy he did unfortunately struggle with facial recognition and remembering names.

"Within a few months he was struggling to even remember mine."

After exhausting NHS options, Matt and Kirsty travelled to Germany monthly for private immunotherapy, eventually navigating airports by wheelchair in December 2025.

Kirsty said: "We traveled to Germany one week every month.

"Unfortunately, the treatment sometimes made him really ill and the travelling was tiring.

"One positive was that Matt’s family members flew out for some of the trips, and it meant there were chunks of time spent with his mom, dad and brother as well over this period.

"It offered a glimmer of hope, but by November he was too ill to travel.

"Despite this we made it work and used a wheelchair to get him through airports over December.

"Matt’s determination to live really shone through in this period.

"We’re so grateful for all the treatment and care that Matt received on the NHS but it's frustrating there aren’t more options in the UK.

"The government funding for research into brain tumors is so low in comparison to other cancers, even though it’s the largest killer of younger people.

"My hope for other families facing a diagnosis is that there will be more funding and more options available in the UK soon."

Matt died in January 2026 at just 34.

In June, 120 of Matt’s former colleagues at property developer Related Argent completed a 26km walk from King’s Cross to Richmond, raising more than $44,000 for Brain Tumor Research.

The funds will support research into high-grade astrocytomas at the Brain Tumor Research Centre of Excellence at the University of Plymouth.

Kirsty, who joined the walk, said: "It was so lovely to walk with them and to remember Matt, all while raising money to help find a cure for this devastating disease."

Charlie Allsebrook, community fundraising manager at Brain Tumor Research, said: "Matt’s story is a stark reminder that brain tumors are indiscriminate.

"With the continued efforts of people like Kirsty and Matt’s former colleagues, we will change outcomes for people diagnosed with this devastating disease."