Ned has raised money for charity skydiving (Image: Ned Hilton/Brain Tumour Research)

       A student who discovered he had a brain tumour after losing his hearing at university has beaten the odds to return to his studies and hand in his final assignment last week. Ned Hilton, 24, from Huddersfield, West Yorks, was studying for a languages degree at the University of Birmingham before the pandemic.

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       He had begun suffering from hearing loss and then, during his second year in October 2018, he was diagnosed with a grade 4 medulloblastoma.

       In 2019, he went through 22 hours of surgery, then followed by intensive radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment.

       Ned before his diagnosis as a student (Image: Ned Hilton/Brain Tumour Research)

       The gruelling treatment put a halt to Ned’s studies for some time but through grit and determination he got back to work.

       He said: "At first I was intrigued and carried on enjoying being a student but as I found out more about what a high-grade tumour meant my concern grew and everything became more real."

       However, he has defied the odds and managed to return to his studies, handing in the final assignment of his degree last week. He also recently jumped out of a plane at 10,000ft to raise ￡1,900 for Brain Tumour Research.

       He said: "The feeling of finishing uni has been incredible. With the support of family and friends, I have overcome so much and I feel proud of myself. To top it off with a skydive to raise money for a cause which means so much to me, after everything I have been through, was brilliant."

       Ned is now living with limited side effects of the cancer diagnosis, but has a new lease on life and plans to travel the world.

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       Ned skydiving for charity since his diagnosis (Image: Ned Hilton/Brain Tumour Research)

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       He added: "Anyone could get ill at any point. I feel fortunate that my outcome has been positive, I know that not everyone has the same experience."

       Mel Tiley, who is the community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: "We’re thrilled to hear of Ned’s fantastic double achievement after facing a brain cancer diagnosis.

       "Sadly his story is not unique, with one in three people knowing someone affected by a brain tumour. They kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.

       "We’re determined to change this but it’s only by working together we will be able to improve treatment options for patients and, ultimately, find cure. We’re really grateful to Ned and his wonderful support network for fundraising for the charity and wish Ned well as he finds his feet after university."

       Brain Tumour Research works to fund research at centres across the UK and campaigns for the government and cancer charities to invest more in studying brain tumours. You can donate to Brain Tumour Research via Ned's JustGiving page here.

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