Fit and healthy Limerick man shares his story since brain tumour diagnosis
Tony Barry, 37, says 'things happen - my goal is to make a full recovery'
A FIT and healthy 37-year-old Limerick man has shared what it was like to be diagnosed with a grade two brain tumour, following a seizure he had while out running.
Tony Barry, from Ballybricken, was diagnosed with grade two astrocytoma in September 2023, when he was 36. He never had symptoms prior to his diagnosis.
The east county Limerick native said: “On September 6 last year, I was out running, and it was about 23 degrees.
“I was wearing a sweat suit as I had two upcoming weddings and I was trying to drop a few pounds.
“The next thing I know, I am on the ground, and a man and woman were standing over me.”
He was brought to University Hospital Limerick (UHL) via ambulance, where he was told that he had a 5.2cm growth on the right side of his brain.
“I was due to have surgery the next week. I remember fasting for 24 hours and, that morning, as I prepared myself for the surgery, I bought a coffee.
“My brother came in and was like ‘why are you drinking coffee?’ It was all new to me.”
The surgery was subsequently postponed a week, where it was done in Cork University Hospital.
“The night before the surgery [which had been postponed], I was bored, so I went on Tinder and ended up going on a walking date near the hospital.
“It certainly took my mind off things, even if the date didn’t quite work out!”
Having eventually undergone a successful surgical procedure which removed part of the growth, this was followed by six weeks of radiation therapy which started the week before Christmas last year.
“Now I am going through 12 months of chemotherapy which finishes next March,” he said.
Tony says his main love is sports, and has been from a young age. He went to Caherelly primary school and later, Ardscoil Rís.
Prior to his brain tumour, he played rugby and GAA. With his treatment ongoing, he is limited to going to the gym, enjoying the occasional cycle and walking.
He is proud to say that he won a county senior club championship medal in football in September 2016 with his club, Monaleen.
“Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to exercise properly since the first seizure, and it has taken quite a toll on me.
“I love high-intensity training but I will have to build my fitness back up.”
Tony, who now lives in Castletroy, says that while he knows he has to take it easy, “exercise is important” for his mental health.
“I have had three seizures since the first one that saw me admitted to hospital, including when I was a passenger in a car and on a train.
“One was in front of the entire gym class at Hyrox on the Ballysimon road, which I was told lasted about eight minutes.
“I was told that the high-intensity training in the gym was putting too much pressure on my heart, which put too much pressure on the brain, which resulted in the seizure.
“Still, I’m proud to have been able to undertake the Ring of Kerry cycle, which is a 170-kilometre route, and I also ran 10km in the Great Limerick Run while undergoing chemo.”
Tony is a construction recruiter by profession and is starting a new job in November, which he welcomes, having been out of work for a year.
“I haven’t driven for 12 months. My concentration levels have been impacted and short-term memory can be an issue.
“However, I’m doing different brain exercises which will help with this, and family and friends have been incredibly supportive in getting me around.”
While the tumour is “slow-growing and benign”, Tony will have to keep a close eye on his health for the rest of his life.
In light of National Brain Tumour Awareness Week, from October 21 to 27, Tony and his mother, Lucy, are set to speak at a national webinar and are looking to shine light on the disease and, indeed, carers caring for themselves.
Lucy said that she was “like Superwoman” since Tony’s diagnosis, and that the worry never stops.
“There were 101 things that you worry about. After a while, you realise that’s not healthy either for yourself, or for Tony. It’s also not sustainable,” Lucy said.
“After four or five months, I was losing perspective on the situation and I felt I was going under a little. I realised that to support Tony, I was going to have to get my own life back on track.”
Tony highlights how he has a new appreciation for life and how his mother Lucy, his family and his friends have been incredibly supportive - opening his mind to “what is important”.
“Being diagnosed with a brain tumour has definitely opened my mind up to what’s important. Everything is not always rosy in the garden.
“It makes you reassess where you are in life. I would say, however, that it’s not the end of the world.
“Things happen. My goal is to make a complete recovery and to get back working and driving full-time.
“You need to stay positive despite how difficult things are. My family and friends have been incredible with the goodness they have shown me in the past 12 months and that has made me realise that there is more to life than the finer things.
“Family and friends can’t be bought.”
When asked one word he would use to describe his ongoing health journey, Tony swiftly said “honest”.
“I’m very black and white, so when it came to the shock of being diagnosed, I wanted to be delivered the news between the eyes. I’m very direct and honest in every part of my life, and I believe there is no room for grey areas.
“I want to know all the answers, and my goal is to make a complete recovery.”