‘Hold on to hope’ – dad diagnosed with inoperable brain tumour after smelling bleach is aiming to inspire others

A father-of-two who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour after smelling bleach has urged others in his position to “hold on to hope and positivity in whatever way you can”.

Sam Suriakumar, 40, who lives in Worcester Park, south London, with his wife, Sindhu, 39, and their two daughters, Avaana, 10, and Arya, eight, was in his bathroom one day in February 2020 when the sudden smell of a cleaning agent “almost filled up (his) mouth”, leaving him feeling dizzy.

Assuming his wife had recently cleaned, Sam did not think too much of it and dedicated to his fitness as an avid gym-goer, he went for a workout session the following day – but the strong smell and his dizziness returned.

While on his journey home, Sam, a musician who also works as a self-employed recruitment consultant, experienced a “massive grand mal seizure” on the London Underground, which was “so bad” he dislocated his shoulder.

While the mass was stable for around two years, Sam was informed it had grown towards the front of his brain in 2023, which “knocked (him) off (his) feet”.

As the tumour sits on the areas responsible for his speech, memories and movement, making it near-impossible to operate, Sam underwent 30 sessions of radiotherapy and nine months of chemotherapy treatment to try to suppress its growth – and he is now in a monitoring phase, receiving scans every six months.

“I’m trying to use my experience to inspire people and turn this into something positive, rather than letting it define me as this poor guy with a sad story,” Sam told PA Real Life.

“I want to provide encouragement and inspiration to others, in that we can fight and we don’t have to let it define us.

“Hold on to hope and positivity in whatever way you can.”

“The smell of ammonia, bleach or some sort of cleaning agent was almost filling up my mouth, it was really strong,” he recalled.

“I felt like I needed to lean against the wall and use the radiator to stand, I felt very strange.”

Not thinking too much of it, Sam carried out his usual activities the following day, where he had a gym session in the morning.

Later that day on his commute home from work, Sam recalled feeling “drained of energy” while sitting on the Northern line of the London Underground.

“I closed my eyes and it felt like half an hour went by, but we had only moved one stop,” he said.

Sam said he closed his eyes once more and he does not remember the following 48 hours, waking up again in hospital.

“I’d seized up so bad that I dislocated my shoulder,” he said.

Sam was rushed to hospital, having two more seizures in the ambulance, before a series of tests were conducted – such as CT scans, MRI scans and a lumbar puncture.

He said one of his CT scans showed “quite a large shadow” across the left side of his brain.

“My mind went straight to my girls, who were only three and five at the time,” Sam said.

“All of a sudden, your priorities become very clear.”

The tumour would be difficult to operate on, Sam said, as it covers the parts of his brain responsible for speech, movement and memories.

“It was a case of not wanting to poke the bear,” Sam said.

His tumour was monitored in regular scans for two years where it appeared to be in a stable state, and he had not suffered with any more seizures.

He was advised to keep himself in a positive and hopeful mindset and to build a strong support system around him.

In a bid to raise awareness, he also became a supporter ambassador for Brain Tumour Research in 2023, which has taken him into public speaking to share his journey.

However, while in Brazil in July 2023 for a wedding, Sam received a sobering call from his neurosurgeon to say a recent scan had shown “a new area of growth” on his tumour, and it was now time to use further treatment measures.

“It knocked me off my feet,” Sam said.

Two weeks later, he started 30 sessions of radiotherapy at the the Royal Marsden Hospital.

This was followed by nine months of chemotherapy treatment, which Sam completed in September 2024.

His tumour is now in a monitoring phase, and Sam will have scans every six months to better understand the impacts of the treatment.

He said he is now “sitting on the fence” between his tumour being low grade and benign or high grade and cancerous, saying the aim is to keep it “suppressed as much as possible”.

Sam celebrated his 40th birthday on July 26, a milestone he did not expect to reach.

For others in his situation, Sam said he would send them a “massive hug”.

“Your brain talks to every single part of your body and it’s so important to have a positive mindset,” he said.

“It’s not going to come every single day, but try to find those things that inspire and encourage you to help you move forward.”

For more information, visit the website for Brain Tumour Research here: braintumourresearch.org