The former parliamentary diary manager from Hockley, Essex, had no family history of cancer, and like many young people, had never imagined that a health crisis like this could strike him.
‘I was living my life in London, enjoying my career, going out for drinks after work, and then one day it all just stopped,’ he told MailOnline, his voice still tinged with disbelief.
In July 2019, Charlie had his first seizure while in his room at home: ‘That was very traumatic for my mum, I imagine, to find me having a seizure in my room. I didn’t remember anything though,’ Charlie recalled, clearly shaken by the moment.
Rushed to Southend University Hospital, doctors initially suspected meningitis, but a scan revealed something far worse – a grade 2 astrocytoma, a rare brain tumour.
He underwent surgery the following month at Queen’s Hospital in Romford to remove the tumour.
Although his recovery was complicated by an infection in his bone flap, requiring another surgery six months later, Charlie pushed forward with unwavering determination.
For four years, he lived under regular scans, every six months at first, then annually.
And for a time, things seemed to be going well: ‘I was flying professionally,’ Charlie said, ‘I went back to work, even got promoted. I thought I was on the other side of it.’
In July 2023, Charlie suffered another seizure, this time on the Jubilee Line in London: ‘I could feel it coming on. My arms started feeling strange, and I knew something was wrong.
‘A paramedic was luckily waiting on the platform and quickly recognized what was happening. He shouted, ‘He’s having a seizure,’ and that’s all I remember before blacking out.’
When Charlie woke up, he was in St Thomas’ Hospital: ‘I didn’t have the results yet, which was probably a good thing.
‘It meant I could enjoy my holiday with Ollie, my partner, before the real nightmare began,’ he said, reflecting on a trip to Portugal just before the full impact of his condition set in.
On holiday, Charlie began experiencing new symptoms: facial drooping, loss of speech, and a limp: ‘I didn’t want to believe it, but I knew something was seriously wrong.’
Back in London, scans revealed that his original tumour had transformed into something far more aggressive: a glioblastoma (GBM).
