Scottish Swimmer Breaks Down in Tears with Plea for More Brain Cancer Funding 2 Years After His Diagnosis
· Yahoo Sports
Credit: BBC News/YouTube
NEED TO KNOW
- Archie Goodburn is speaking out about cancer research
- The Scottish swimmer was diagnosed with oligodendroglioma in 2022
- Goodburn placed seventh last month in the 50-meter breaststroke final at the Commonwealth Games
A Scottish swimmer who was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer is pleading for his country’s government to do more for cancer research.
Days after reaching the final in the 50-meter breaststroke at the Commonwealth Games, Archie Goodburn appeared on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, Aug. 4 to deliver an impassioned plea to the British prime minister.
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“Andy Burnham, if you believe and you want to make a change and difference to the future of our country and our young population, please listen to us,” Goodburn, 25, said in his direct appeal to the camera. “Please establish a national brain cancer lead and give us a chance to fight for our lives because, honestly, the things that patients are going through out there is just unbelievable and so unjust.”
As he spoke, Goodburn’s voice wavered and hands shook, his eyes filling with tears.
He added that there are clinical trials around the world in the United States, Australia and China, but that “we are not seeing them in the U.K.”
“I’m on my knees begging, for not just my own life but those of my best friends and those that are affected and the families all around the country,” he said. “This has to change, it’s been going on for too long and the suffering is unbearable.”
Goodburn was diagnosed with three “low-grade” but inoperable tumors when he was 22 years old, according to the BBC. The 50-meter breaststroke record holder underwent tests, scans and a biopsy after experiencing symptoms including seizures, numbness on his left side and déjà vu.
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The athlete was told he had oligodendroglioma in May 2024, news.com.au reported. Oligodendroglioma is a rare type of primary brain or spinal cord tumor that develops from glial cells and can result in seizures, headaches and neurological changes, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Archie Goodburn advanced to the 50-meter breaststroke final at the Commonwealth Games last month.Credit: Ian MacNicol/Getty
Despite his diagnosis, the swimmer has made strides in the pool, breaking his nation’s 50-meter record in February.
Despite placing seventh at the Commonwealth Games last month, Goodburn savored the accomplishment of making the final.
“I was really trying to soak it up, because I didn’t feel like I really got much of a chance to do that after the semi,” he said after the race. “And the experience was everything I dreamed of and more. But the time, unfortunately, wasn’t there.”
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