Champion swimmer who has rare brain cancer urges more help for condition

The swimmer Archie Goodburn, who will compete for Scotland at this year’s Commonwealth Games, is calling on the government to do more to help people with the inoperable form of brain cancer that he has.

- Isaaq Tomkins

Two years ago, Goodburn’s life changed. A few months before the Paris Olympics qualifiers, Goodburn started experiencing episodes during training: a loss of strength, numbness on his left flank, a deep feeling of fear and nausea.

He missed out on qualifying for Team GB by a few tenths of a second, and soon after it was discovered that the cause was three oligodendrogliomas, rare tumours that make up about 3% of all brain cancer diagnoses.

“I felt like my consciousness was being pulled away from me,” he said.

Vorasidenib, a breakthrough treatment, recently gave Goodburn, 24, a chance to compete again, this time at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

It delayed the immediate prospect of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which would have impaired his cognitive ability and interrupted his training, as well as his chemical engineering degree.

But he says one new drug in 20 years is not enough. “Vorasidenib only bought me four years, according to the trials. I need more. And I’m not going to stop [campaigning] until my last breath.