Medical Student, 23, Had His Symptoms Dismissed by Doctors 50 Times. Now He Has Incurable Brain Cancer

need to know

• Alex Warwick experienced stroke-like symptoms for years, which doctors dismissed as medical student stress or health anxiety

• The 23-year-old was eventually diagnosed with incurable brain cancer after a massive tumor was discovered during emergency surgery

• Alex is currently receiving life-prolonging treatment and hopes sharing his story will help others detect it earlier

A young man has been diagnosed with incurable brain cancer after numerous doctors denied his symptoms.

Alex Warwick, a 23-year-old medical student from Liverpool, England, has been dealing with unusual symptoms for years. During college exams, he was extremely tired and had difficulty staying awake. He also experienced drooping of one side of his face, similar to a mini-stroke.

“I would suddenly feel very sleepy. Half my face would be paralyzed, my left eyelid would be droopy, and the left side of my face would be paralyzed,” he told me independent. “I couldn’t grab things with my left hand. I would get confused, like half my body shut down. I would fight through it and stay awake, and then within a few minutes it would pass.”

Alex visited many doctors but was told multiple times that nothing was wrong. Multiple medical experts told him he was dealing with college-related stress or health anxiety because he was a medical student.

“All GP and neurological tests were normal as I was not having any seizures at the time,” he said. “I’m doing really well. I’m articulate and healthy, so even now, no one thinks there’s anything wrong with me.”

“But being told about health anxiety is pretty scary, especially as a medical student,” he added.

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Alex’s father, Ian Warwick, is worried about his son’s health. He said he went to “probably 50 doctors” and after “constant reassurance” that everything was OK, they de-emphasized the issue.

But that changed after an incident in May 2025, when Alex was having dinner with friends and started experiencing the same stroke-like symptoms. They called his parents and rushed him to the hospital.

Once there, Alex started having seizures. He was evaluated and immediately prepared for emergency brain surgery after doctors discovered he had an aggressive grade four brain tumor. Alex was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an incurable cancer that starts in the brain and spinal cord. The prognosis is poor, with life expectancy after diagnosis about 12-18 months, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Alex and his family are devastated by the shocking news, especially after such a delay in diagnosis.

“I reckon I’ve had the tumor for seven or eight years,” he said. “As soon as someone said they weren’t sure what was going on and booked me for a scan. When I did the scan I found the tumor was 5 centimeters, a big tumor you couldn’t miss.”

Ian added that if his son’s health issues had been addressed during his earlier visits, things could have been very different.

“None of this is about assigning blame, but if someone brings up the same thing five or six times, take it seriously,” he said. “Upgrade and be more curious about why.”

During Alex’s emergency surgery, most of the tumor was removed. He then underwent chemotherapy and radiation.

However, in December 2025, his condition worsened and an MRI revealed that the cancer had spread. He also developed leptomeningeal disease (LMD), a rare and serious complication in which cancer cells spread into the cerebrospinal fluid and membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

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Although the cancer is incurable, Alex is now traveling back and forth to Germany to receive “cutting-edge” immunotherapy. Ian told the outlet that his son’s family had kept him company during the difficult times, which had kept him in good spirits.

“We are a close family and we couldn’t do this without each other,” he said. “The home network is the reason Alex maintains such a positive attitude.”

Alex added that while it was disappointing that his cancer wasn’t caught earlier, he remains optimistic and finds comfort in sharing his story publicly.

“I’m disappointed that this thing slipped through the cracks, but it allows me to advocate that it doesn’t happen again,” he said. “I hope this means GPs take young people more seriously, especially when faced with the same thing multiple times.”

Read the original article on People