15 January 2024 , 13:35
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Brave BBC star Glenn Campbell has admitted he is "not afraid of dying" as he shared an update on his incurable brain cancer diagnosis.
The BBC Scotland political editor found out he was suffering from the disease in August last year, two months after he was hospitalised after suffering an accident on his bike and breaking 10 ribs. Six weeks later Glenn woke clutching his left arm feeling a burning sensation and he was unable to walk or talk coherently.
After his wife Claire called for an ambulance, it was later revealed Glenn had experienced an epileptic fit or a seizure. Admitted to hospital once more despite feeling better, he soon had an MRI scan, which revealed a tumour on the right side of his brain - pressing on the area that controlled the left side of his body.
BBC News editor Glenn shared his tragic cancer diagnosis after a horror bike crash (Handout)
Glenn has shared that he is more afraid to miss out on his family's lives, than of dying (Handout)Now, after learning the tumour's size is around that of a large grape, Glenn has explained that he might die before he's 50 as his glioblastoma is "a fast growing cancerous tumour for which the average life expectancy after diagnosis is 12 to 18 months".
He told the BBC in a new interview: "I had to move quickly to update my will and dig out my life insurance to make everything as easy as possible for my family in case the operation went wrong. The hardest thing was to tell my children Cameron, 20, and Katie, 17, what was happening to me. Getting through that without breaking down was a relief."
Glenn continued: "I was surprised to discover that I am not afraid of dying. It turns out my biggest fear is FOMO - the fear of missing out. Missing out on growing old with my wife. Missing out on seeing my children complete their journeys into adulthood. Missing out on their graduations, weddings and the arrival of any children they might have. I told family and friends that I loved them and hoped for the best."
Fortunately though, Glenn says his operation on the tumour at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh was "a success" with surgeons able to remove the majority of it "without damaging healthy tissue". After the tumour was assessed forensically, Glenn confirmed his cancer is "incurable" and will "almost certainly" kill him, but he is "optimistic" that won't be for a while yet.
And now, Glenn has launched a fundraiser for the charity Brain Tumour Research, Brain Power, which hopes to find a cure for all types of brain tumours. He has already exceeded his initial goal of raising £10,000 having been supported by almost 200 backers.