1
00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,860
Glenn, why are we sitting here today?

2
00:00:04,860 --> 00:00:07,380
Why, indeed?
HE LAUGHS

3
00:00:07,380 --> 00:00:10,300
Many young people are dissatisfied
with television.

4
00:00:10,300 --> 00:00:13,500
The SNP have 56 of the 59 seats
in Scotland.

5
00:00:13,500 --> 00:00:17,020
Well, it's not every day
an American tycoon gives evidence.

6
00:00:17,020 --> 00:00:20,460
I spent a career
telling other people's stories,

7
00:00:20,460 --> 00:00:23,100
and now I'm telling my own.

8
00:00:25,300 --> 00:00:27,180
My name is Glenn Campbell.

9
00:00:27,180 --> 00:00:30,660
I am a husband,
a father of two children,

10
00:00:30,660 --> 00:00:32,420
I live in East Lothian,

11
00:00:32,420 --> 00:00:36,780
originally from the isle of Islay
off the west coast of Scotland,

12
00:00:36,780 --> 00:00:40,300
and I'm currently
political editor at BBC Scotland.

13
00:00:40,300 --> 00:00:43,420
Prime Minister, why are you making
people in Scotland poorer?

14
00:00:43,420 --> 00:00:44,940
Hey, how are you?

15
00:00:44,940 --> 00:00:47,660
So, interviewing prime ministers
and first ministers.

16
00:00:47,660 --> 00:00:50,540
Did I give anything to STV
that's going to embarrass Glenn?

17
00:00:50,540 --> 00:00:53,460
Last year, I fell off my bike

18
00:00:53,460 --> 00:00:56,780
and I broke ten ribs.

19
00:00:56,780 --> 00:01:00,100
I was ready to go back to work

20
00:01:00,100 --> 00:01:02,380
when something even worse happened.

21
00:01:30,460 --> 00:01:32,780
I think that's going to be enough
to get it going...

22
00:01:34,260 --> 00:01:35,820
..hopefully.

23
00:01:40,740 --> 00:01:43,100
I was just flicking through
the papers,

24
00:01:43,100 --> 00:01:46,020
which are obviously covering
the fact that

25
00:01:46,020 --> 00:01:48,620
there's going to be an election
on the fourth of July,

26
00:01:48,620 --> 00:01:50,940
and what I'm thinking about is,

27
00:01:50,940 --> 00:01:52,740
"Can I be involved?"

28
00:01:52,740 --> 00:01:58,180
Erm, I haven't missed an election
since 1997.

29
00:01:58,180 --> 00:02:02,980
I feel quite determined not to...
to miss out on this one.

30
00:02:02,980 --> 00:02:07,500
I've stopped my chemo treatment, so
I should be feeling better as, er...

31
00:02:07,500 --> 00:02:10,500
..as the weeks go on,
and I'm starting to think,

32
00:02:10,500 --> 00:02:13,740
"Well, how involved in the election
can I be?"

33
00:02:13,740 --> 00:02:16,660
And I think I'll be able
to do something.

34
00:02:26,820 --> 00:02:29,460
Life was good.

35
00:02:29,460 --> 00:02:32,900
I was working hard,
I was enjoying life,

36
00:02:32,900 --> 00:02:36,780
I was probably fitter than I'd maybe
even ever been.

37
00:02:39,980 --> 00:02:42,020
I was out on my bike with a friend,

38
00:02:42,020 --> 00:02:44,660
I was coming down a very steep hill.

39
00:02:46,100 --> 00:02:48,980
I got unlucky, I clipped
a rough edge,

40
00:02:48,980 --> 00:02:51,460
the bike went one way
and I went the other.

41
00:02:53,420 --> 00:02:55,060
I was very lucky.

42
00:02:55,060 --> 00:02:58,580
The next vehicle to come
was a retired police officer.

43
00:02:58,580 --> 00:03:01,220
He knew exactly what to do.

44
00:03:01,220 --> 00:03:04,100
I was taken to
the major trauma unit.

45
00:03:04,100 --> 00:03:08,100
I spent five or six weeks recovering
from that.

46
00:03:08,100 --> 00:03:10,220
I was looking forward to going back
to work,

47
00:03:10,220 --> 00:03:14,980
and then, on the Saturday night
into the...the Sunday morning,

48
00:03:14,980 --> 00:03:18,940
I woke up feeling really strange.

49
00:03:18,940 --> 00:03:21,340
I couldn't walk or talk properly,

50
00:03:21,340 --> 00:03:23,740
it was almost like being drunk.

51
00:03:23,740 --> 00:03:26,180
I think my wife thought
I was having a stroke,

52
00:03:26,180 --> 00:03:29,780
but it turned out that I was
having a...a seizure.

53
00:03:29,780 --> 00:03:33,980
He was grabbing one side
of his...and his arm.

54
00:03:33,980 --> 00:03:36,660
Erm, but he couldn't really
kind of talk,

55
00:03:36,660 --> 00:03:38,500
so I was thinking maybe
it's a stroke.

56
00:03:38,500 --> 00:03:41,660
I didn't really know, but luckily
my son was back from uni,

57
00:03:41,660 --> 00:03:44,500
so I banged on his door and said,
"Just ring an ambulance,"

58
00:03:44,500 --> 00:03:47,580
erm, because I really didn't know
what was happening.

59
00:03:47,580 --> 00:03:50,980
An ambulance came and I was back
in hospital.

60
00:03:50,980 --> 00:03:55,140
I got a scan,
and that's what revealed

61
00:03:55,140 --> 00:03:56,980
that I had a...a brain tumour.

62
00:03:59,460 --> 00:04:03,420
They said it was a high-grade,
aggressive brain tumour.

63
00:04:12,300 --> 00:04:14,700
We were quite bleak
about the outcome,

64
00:04:14,700 --> 00:04:18,180
so we were just kind of reeling
with that really and thinking,

65
00:04:18,180 --> 00:04:19,900
"OK, well, how do we cope with it?"

66
00:04:21,020 --> 00:04:24,660
They thought I had the most common
kind of brain tumour,

67
00:04:24,660 --> 00:04:27,460
which so happens
to be the worst kind.

68
00:04:28,780 --> 00:04:31,980
People in that situation
tend to last about a year,

69
00:04:31,980 --> 00:04:34,420
maybe 18 months.

70
00:04:34,420 --> 00:04:40,100
So, basically, I'd been told
I had a terminal illness, and...

71
00:04:40,100 --> 00:04:42,980
HE SIGHS
..that's...that's a big blow.

72
00:04:42,980 --> 00:04:44,700
It's devastating.

73
00:04:46,700 --> 00:04:51,020
And I thought, "Well, I can't affect
the health outcome here.

74
00:04:51,020 --> 00:04:53,580
"So what can I do that's useful?

75
00:04:53,580 --> 00:04:56,460
"Well, I'm a journalist,
I can tell my story."

76
00:05:01,020 --> 00:05:02,780
You're going in for this operation
in two days' time.

77
00:05:02,780 --> 00:05:05,900
How are you feeling about it?
I haven't spent a lot of time

78
00:05:05,900 --> 00:05:07,380
thinking about the operation,

79
00:05:07,380 --> 00:05:11,340
mainly because I don't want to think
about the operation.

80
00:05:11,340 --> 00:05:16,260
I just want to keep busy
between now and then.

81
00:05:16,260 --> 00:05:18,900
And, actually, I found
there's quite a lot to do

82
00:05:18,900 --> 00:05:21,300
to get everything in order,

83
00:05:21,300 --> 00:05:24,060
and then I'll turn up on the day.

84
00:05:24,060 --> 00:05:26,340
Is there anything else
you want to add?

85
00:05:26,340 --> 00:05:31,260
Erm, maybe just do one, er...

86
00:05:31,260 --> 00:05:33,820
..a sort of slightly more
personal one. Is that all right?

87
00:05:35,860 --> 00:05:39,900
Well, I was organising my affairs

88
00:05:39,900 --> 00:05:42,700
on the basis that I was going
to die quite soon.

89
00:05:42,700 --> 00:05:46,420
I think I've been really lucky
in my life.

90
00:05:46,420 --> 00:05:49,580
Doing all the things you have to do
to try and make sure

91
00:05:49,580 --> 00:05:53,620
the burden of your death would not
be so great on your family,

92
00:05:53,620 --> 00:05:57,420
trying to make things as easy
as possible for them.

93
00:05:57,420 --> 00:06:01,140
I've got an amazing wife,

94
00:06:01,140 --> 00:06:03,700
two fantastic kids,

95
00:06:03,700 --> 00:06:06,180
and a lot of love.

96
00:06:06,180 --> 00:06:08,660
That's...been amazing.

97
00:06:14,500 --> 00:06:17,060
I was about to have
major brain surgery,

98
00:06:17,060 --> 00:06:21,420
and I was also concerned that
I might not make it through that,

99
00:06:21,420 --> 00:06:24,500
so I better get things
in order now,

100
00:06:24,500 --> 00:06:28,340
just in case it didn't work out
in the operating theatre.

101
00:06:34,060 --> 00:06:37,700
So, this is me on the way
to hospital for my operation.

102
00:06:37,700 --> 00:06:40,420
My lovely wife Claire
is in the driver's seat.

103
00:06:40,420 --> 00:06:43,500
I mean, obviously, it's a big day
for the both of us,

104
00:06:43,500 --> 00:06:48,260
but it's an even bigger day, because
it's our tenth wedding anniversary.

105
00:06:48,260 --> 00:06:51,660
So, yes, brain surgery is
a kind of funny way to celebrate,

106
00:06:51,660 --> 00:06:55,300
but if the doctors can sort
this thing out,

107
00:06:55,300 --> 00:06:57,740
then we have a lot
to be thankful for.

108
00:07:02,860 --> 00:07:05,220
I can't pretend that I'm not
a little bit anxious,

109
00:07:05,220 --> 00:07:09,700
because I haven't really
had anything like this done before.

110
00:07:09,700 --> 00:07:11,260
The folk here know
what they're doing.

111
00:07:11,260 --> 00:07:14,900
I'm in pretty safe hands,
and a few hours from now,

112
00:07:14,900 --> 00:07:17,020
I should be wide awake again.

113
00:07:19,900 --> 00:07:22,380
In the morning of that...

114
00:07:22,380 --> 00:07:23,900
Yeah, kind of dropped him off,

115
00:07:23,900 --> 00:07:26,780
and then, erm, said goodbye
and left him.

116
00:07:26,780 --> 00:07:28,220
And we were just waiting.

117
00:07:28,220 --> 00:07:32,140
Waiting, really, for this call
to say that he was out of surgery.

118
00:07:32,140 --> 00:07:37,380
So, I reckon I've been out
for about five hours,

119
00:07:37,380 --> 00:07:42,180
and now I'm back, which feels
absolutely amazing.

120
00:07:42,180 --> 00:07:45,500
I felt an exhilaration
from being alive.

121
00:07:45,500 --> 00:07:48,140
"I've made it through the operation,
I'm still here!"

122
00:07:49,300 --> 00:07:52,980
And as far as I can make out
from the doctors,

123
00:07:52,980 --> 00:07:56,020
they've managed to get out
quite a bit,

124
00:07:56,020 --> 00:07:58,460
maybe a wee bit more
than they expected.

125
00:07:58,460 --> 00:08:02,340
But now the job is to find out
exactly what was in there

126
00:08:02,340 --> 00:08:05,460
and what further treatment
we can do.

127
00:08:07,100 --> 00:08:10,780
There are some weeks between
the surgery

128
00:08:10,780 --> 00:08:14,260
and the results of the...

129
00:08:14,260 --> 00:08:17,140
..the biopsy of your...your tumour.

130
00:08:17,140 --> 00:08:21,460
And, I mean, I think in my case,
it was just a few weeks,

131
00:08:21,460 --> 00:08:24,580
which is not a lot of time, really.

132
00:08:24,580 --> 00:08:29,020
Erm, but, boy, you feel every single
minute of that,

133
00:08:29,020 --> 00:08:31,820
because you don't know what
the outcome is.

134
00:08:36,540 --> 00:08:39,340
We're about a month on
from my brain surgery,

135
00:08:39,340 --> 00:08:42,020
and today is a pretty big day,

136
00:08:42,020 --> 00:08:46,300
because I'm going back to hospital
to get my results,

137
00:08:46,300 --> 00:08:49,420
to find out exactly what kind
of tumour I've got.

138
00:08:50,940 --> 00:08:53,980
And instead of
sitting around worrying,

139
00:08:53,980 --> 00:08:58,260
I've come to the beach
and I'm going to go for a swim.

140
00:08:58,260 --> 00:09:02,500
Remember, I still think
I've got a year or so to live,

141
00:09:02,500 --> 00:09:05,100
unless I get really lucky.

142
00:09:09,100 --> 00:09:11,580
Whoo! Amazing!

143
00:09:28,500 --> 00:09:32,500
I guess we're about to get
a reality check now,

144
00:09:32,500 --> 00:09:36,580
and we're prepared for whatever
the doctors have to say,

145
00:09:36,580 --> 00:09:39,460
but always hoping for the best.

146
00:09:46,820 --> 00:09:50,300
Well, we've just spent just over
an hour with a doctor,

147
00:09:50,300 --> 00:09:53,860
with an oncologist,
going through the results.

148
00:09:53,860 --> 00:09:57,100
I knew that they thought it was
a cancerous tumour,

149
00:09:57,100 --> 00:09:59,500
an incurable cancerous tumour,

150
00:09:59,500 --> 00:10:01,820
and they've confirmed that.

151
00:10:01,820 --> 00:10:06,140
But actually, there's some
really, really good news as well.

152
00:10:06,140 --> 00:10:08,100
It's not the worst kind,

153
00:10:08,100 --> 00:10:13,220
and these can typically
end your life within a year or so.

154
00:10:13,220 --> 00:10:16,220
In my case, it looks like
we can avoid that.

155
00:10:16,220 --> 00:10:20,620
It looks like I can be around
for quite a bit longer.

156
00:10:20,620 --> 00:10:22,620
You know, I hit the...the jackpot.

157
00:10:22,620 --> 00:10:25,780
I got a type of brain cancer

158
00:10:25,780 --> 00:10:30,380
that is more treatable
than most other tumours.

159
00:10:30,380 --> 00:10:32,620
And, I mean, I couldn't believe it.

160
00:10:32,620 --> 00:10:35,620
My tumour is called
an oligodendroglioma.

161
00:10:35,620 --> 00:10:41,460
Only about 3% of brain cancers
are in that category.

162
00:10:41,460 --> 00:10:45,980
Actually, I feel really good
after that appointment.

163
00:10:45,980 --> 00:10:48,140
I don't know how you feel.
CLAIRE LAUGHS

164
00:10:48,140 --> 00:10:50,780
Relieved, er, delighted.

165
00:10:50,780 --> 00:10:52,300
Can I say that? I don't know.

166
00:10:52,300 --> 00:10:54,460
Yeah, I mean, just feel like
a huge weight

167
00:10:54,460 --> 00:10:57,420
has been lifted from my shoulders.

168
00:10:57,420 --> 00:11:00,660
Just feel I can smile
and breathe again a bit more.

169
00:11:00,660 --> 00:11:05,340
In that moment,
my average life expectancy

170
00:11:05,340 --> 00:11:09,180
went from months
to potentially years.

171
00:11:09,180 --> 00:11:11,500
And, you know, that was amazing.

172
00:11:23,300 --> 00:11:25,700
So, it's a few hours since
I got my results.

173
00:11:25,700 --> 00:11:29,020
I'm back home and I'm out doing
one of my favourite things -

174
00:11:29,020 --> 00:11:30,580
walking the dog.

175
00:11:30,580 --> 00:11:34,020
It's a beautiful evening,
but all the more beautiful

176
00:11:34,020 --> 00:11:37,660
because instead of spending it

177
00:11:37,660 --> 00:11:41,740
working out what I could cram in
to the life I've got left,

178
00:11:41,740 --> 00:11:44,620
I'm now having to think
about extending

179
00:11:44,620 --> 00:11:48,700
the bucket list, because I could be
around for a good bit longer

180
00:11:48,700 --> 00:11:50,780
than I thought was possible.

181
00:11:50,780 --> 00:11:53,180
I thought I wasn't going
to have a 50th birthday,

182
00:11:53,180 --> 00:11:55,780
now I'm starting to think
it could be possible

183
00:11:55,780 --> 00:11:57,820
I might be here for my 60th.

184
00:12:02,660 --> 00:12:06,820
Well, it takes adjustment
to switch from

185
00:12:06,820 --> 00:12:10,620
being somebody who is dying
from brain cancer

186
00:12:10,620 --> 00:12:12,940
to starting to believe

187
00:12:12,940 --> 00:12:16,820
that you are going to be somebody
who is living with a brain tumour.

188
00:12:16,820 --> 00:12:20,100
Now, that's overall
a happy adjustment to make,

189
00:12:20,100 --> 00:12:22,660
but it is still an adjustment.

190
00:12:28,780 --> 00:12:31,300
Although nobody wants
to be in the cancer club,

191
00:12:31,300 --> 00:12:35,660
it is actually a pretty
supportive environment to be in.

192
00:12:39,980 --> 00:12:43,380
Theo I sometimes call
my cancer coach,

193
00:12:43,380 --> 00:12:48,220
because, erm, any issue
that comes up,

194
00:12:48,220 --> 00:12:51,460
erm, she will have dealt
with it already

195
00:12:51,460 --> 00:12:53,300
because she's a wee bit
further along.

196
00:12:53,300 --> 00:12:56,340
I think I might have
the chocolate Guinness cake.

197
00:12:56,340 --> 00:12:58,540
Go for it. Yeah. Yeah, definitely.

198
00:12:58,540 --> 00:13:02,580
Theo was diagnosed with
an incurable brain cancer,

199
00:13:02,580 --> 00:13:04,860
the worst kind, a glioblastoma.

200
00:13:13,300 --> 00:13:15,860
A carrot cake. Cannae beat a wee bit
of carrot cake.

201
00:13:17,460 --> 00:13:19,460
So, how are you doing? I'm fine.

202
00:13:19,460 --> 00:13:22,740
I've got my scan on
the September the 11th, which...

203
00:13:22,740 --> 00:13:24,820
Oh, really? Yeah.
THEY CHUCKLE

204
00:13:24,820 --> 00:13:27,020
So, I've got two scans left
to get through.

205
00:13:27,020 --> 00:13:29,060
And how are you feeling

206
00:13:29,060 --> 00:13:30,900
kind of emotionally
about everything? I mean...

207
00:13:30,900 --> 00:13:33,780
I kind of keep thinking
that all of this is going to

208
00:13:33,780 --> 00:13:36,700
catch up with me at some point,
because, you know,

209
00:13:36,700 --> 00:13:38,460
generally speaking, I'm OK,
you know? Yeah.

210
00:13:38,460 --> 00:13:40,420
Erm, I have my moments, I suppose,

211
00:13:40,420 --> 00:13:44,060
and Claire and I have our moments.

212
00:13:44,060 --> 00:13:47,900
Erm, but, you know,
usually they're short-lived,

213
00:13:47,900 --> 00:13:50,900
and, erm, we just keep going,

214
00:13:50,900 --> 00:13:52,940
because that's the only thing
there is, isn't there? Yeah.

215
00:13:52,940 --> 00:13:55,940
Just keep going. I mean,
I remember you asking me

216
00:13:55,940 --> 00:13:59,020
why I felt angry about having
a brain tumour.

217
00:13:59,020 --> 00:14:02,340
You didn't... That wasn't something
you... No, and it hasn't.

218
00:14:02,340 --> 00:14:05,460
That certainly hasn't expressed
itself since then.

219
00:14:05,460 --> 00:14:08,180
But, I mean, that doesn't mean
I don't understand why

220
00:14:08,180 --> 00:14:10,620
you might well feel... Yeah.
..anger.

221
00:14:10,620 --> 00:14:13,860
I mean, there is actually quite
a lot to get angry about, you know,

222
00:14:13,860 --> 00:14:17,460
beyond the...the personal,
when it comes to,

223
00:14:17,460 --> 00:14:22,260
you know, why hasn't the science
advanced as quickly as it has

224
00:14:22,260 --> 00:14:26,020
in some other types of cancer?

225
00:14:26,020 --> 00:14:30,180
100%, I think that's a lot
of where my anger lies now.

226
00:14:30,180 --> 00:14:33,500
I mean, I think a lot of the work
that I'm doing,

227
00:14:33,500 --> 00:14:35,940
I don't know about you, but is about
making things better

228
00:14:35,940 --> 00:14:37,620
for future patients.

229
00:14:37,620 --> 00:14:40,900
Not necessarily going to do us
any good, is it? No, no.

230
00:14:43,780 --> 00:14:47,260
Brain cancer hasn't had the focus
that other cancers have had.

231
00:14:48,700 --> 00:14:50,020
All right.

232
00:14:50,020 --> 00:14:54,180
And not too many people
with brain tumours

233
00:14:54,180 --> 00:14:58,260
stick around long enough
to be able to...to shout about them.

234
00:14:58,260 --> 00:15:00,100
And I thought,
"Well, you're still here.

235
00:15:00,100 --> 00:15:01,540
"What do you want to do
with your life?"

236
00:15:01,540 --> 00:15:03,820
And one of the things
I came up with was,

237
00:15:03,820 --> 00:15:06,300
I love climbing mountains.

238
00:15:07,980 --> 00:15:12,060
Why don't you climb every Munro
in Scotland

239
00:15:12,060 --> 00:15:15,060
to raise as much money and as much
awareness as we can?

240
00:15:15,060 --> 00:15:17,460
You know, why don't you just set
yourself that challenge

241
00:15:17,460 --> 00:15:19,020
and get on with it?

242
00:15:19,020 --> 00:15:22,540
So, it's about five weeks
after brain surgery,

243
00:15:22,540 --> 00:15:24,900
and in the next couple of weeks,

244
00:15:24,900 --> 00:15:28,180
they're going to start blasting me
with radiotherapy.

245
00:15:28,180 --> 00:15:31,620
So there's a window here
where I'm feeling really good

246
00:15:31,620 --> 00:15:35,220
and keen to get out and about
and up into the hills.

247
00:15:35,220 --> 00:15:38,740
So, this is my first Munro
in a long time.

248
00:15:38,740 --> 00:15:40,700
I'd actually quite like
to do them all.

249
00:15:40,700 --> 00:15:42,260
281 to go.

250
00:15:46,900 --> 00:15:48,980
But it's also for me.

251
00:15:48,980 --> 00:15:52,260
You know, it's something
that I can do

252
00:15:52,260 --> 00:15:55,060
that I love, that makes me
very happy.

253
00:15:59,820 --> 00:16:02,620
This is me living with
my brain tumour.

254
00:16:03,900 --> 00:16:05,340
Yes!

255
00:16:06,580 --> 00:16:08,980
So, I've kind of woven it into
the fundraising

256
00:16:08,980 --> 00:16:12,460
and the awareness raising
to underline the limits

257
00:16:12,460 --> 00:16:14,060
of what is currently available.

258
00:16:18,340 --> 00:16:23,300
The treatment has not really changed
in a generation.

259
00:16:23,300 --> 00:16:26,380
So, there's surgery,
if that's possible.

260
00:16:26,380 --> 00:16:28,260
There's radiotherapy.

261
00:16:28,260 --> 00:16:30,740
Give us a wave if you need us
at all. OK, thank you.

262
00:16:37,780 --> 00:16:42,220
And there's chemotherapy,
which can be pretty brutal.

263
00:16:42,220 --> 00:16:45,060
These wee capsules are going
to help kill my cancer,

264
00:16:45,060 --> 00:16:48,260
and the other ones are

265
00:16:48,260 --> 00:16:50,620
hopefully going to stop
the chemotherapy

266
00:16:50,620 --> 00:16:53,020
making me feel sick. Here we go.

267
00:16:55,620 --> 00:16:57,220
And that's...that's it.

268
00:16:57,220 --> 00:16:59,980
That's your combination.

269
00:16:59,980 --> 00:17:01,340
Lovely.

270
00:17:02,300 --> 00:17:06,060
There hasn't really been a major
advance in the treatment

271
00:17:06,060 --> 00:17:09,420
that's available on the NHS
for...for a very long time,

272
00:17:09,420 --> 00:17:13,900
and I for one would like
to see that change.

273
00:17:13,900 --> 00:17:16,140
For me, you know, if I can stick
around long enough,

274
00:17:16,140 --> 00:17:18,820
maybe there will be a breakthrough.

275
00:17:18,820 --> 00:17:22,620
Erm, but to be honest,
I'm more focused on

276
00:17:22,620 --> 00:17:25,420
trying to move the science on
so that

277
00:17:25,420 --> 00:17:27,580
the patients that have yet
to be diagnosed

278
00:17:27,580 --> 00:17:29,940
have a...have a better experience.

279
00:17:31,700 --> 00:17:33,100
Good girl, come on.

280
00:17:35,340 --> 00:17:39,540
Over time, I felt better and better,

281
00:17:39,540 --> 00:17:43,380
and so I decided to go back to work.

282
00:17:47,900 --> 00:17:49,740
Lucky day.

283
00:17:49,740 --> 00:17:52,100
It is nice to be back.
You're looking great.

284
00:17:52,100 --> 00:17:53,980
I feel good, I feel really good,
yeah.

285
00:17:53,980 --> 00:17:56,900
I'm very lucky to have a job
that I love.

286
00:17:56,900 --> 00:17:58,940
I've been doing it
for a very long time,

287
00:17:58,940 --> 00:18:02,340
but I still start the day
with a spring in my step.

288
00:18:02,340 --> 00:18:04,580
Hey, how are you?

289
00:18:04,580 --> 00:18:06,980
Fine? I feel good, actually. Yeah?

290
00:18:06,980 --> 00:18:10,420
You know, the buzz
of uncovering a story

291
00:18:10,420 --> 00:18:13,620
or a new bit of information
to develop a story...

292
00:18:13,620 --> 00:18:15,420
What I'm saying to you is that
I want to make sure...

293
00:18:15,420 --> 00:18:16,980
Well, you're not answering
the question.

294
00:18:16,980 --> 00:18:21,140
..and get that on air, preferably
before anyone else does.

295
00:18:21,140 --> 00:18:23,100
Erm, it's what keeps me going.

296
00:18:23,100 --> 00:18:25,260
Have you at any point
offered your resignation?

297
00:18:25,260 --> 00:18:26,460
No, I haven't.

298
00:18:26,460 --> 00:18:28,340
And Glenn joins me now.

299
00:18:29,620 --> 00:18:31,700
All right, OK.

300
00:18:31,700 --> 00:18:33,820
So, I was back to work.

301
00:18:35,260 --> 00:18:36,980
I was feeling good.

302
00:18:39,620 --> 00:18:41,740
And then I had a seizure.

303
00:18:41,740 --> 00:18:43,820
SIREN BLARES

304
00:18:47,260 --> 00:18:50,060
I ended up in
Accident and Emergency again.

305
00:18:50,060 --> 00:18:53,380
I ended up in intensive care
for 24 hours,

306
00:18:53,380 --> 00:18:56,060
because the only way
they could make it stop

307
00:18:56,060 --> 00:19:01,100
was by putting me
into a medical coma.

308
00:19:01,100 --> 00:19:04,980
And fortunately, they were able
to bring me back out of that.

309
00:19:04,980 --> 00:19:09,380
I have moved to the Department
for Clinical Neurology.

310
00:19:10,540 --> 00:19:13,220
Erm, Claire has been to see me.

311
00:19:13,220 --> 00:19:18,180
It's not possible to explain
why it happened there and then,

312
00:19:18,180 --> 00:19:19,700
but it did.

313
00:19:22,660 --> 00:19:24,700
I feel very emotional.

314
00:19:28,740 --> 00:19:30,460
And strangely...

315
00:19:35,700 --> 00:19:38,540
..that's not something...

316
00:19:38,540 --> 00:19:41,940
..I can say when Claire is here.

317
00:19:46,940 --> 00:19:48,740
I guess I don't want to...

318
00:19:51,020 --> 00:19:53,420
..lose it in front of her.

319
00:19:55,900 --> 00:19:59,260
That gave me a hell
of a fright, erm...

320
00:19:59,260 --> 00:20:03,260
..because the outcome could
have been quite different.

321
00:20:09,820 --> 00:20:14,180
It seems to me the only certainty
about having a tumour,

322
00:20:14,180 --> 00:20:16,940
having brain cancer, and I'm sure
this is the same

323
00:20:16,940 --> 00:20:18,860
for many other cancers as well,

324
00:20:18,860 --> 00:20:21,540
is continued uncertainty.

325
00:20:26,220 --> 00:20:29,260
There are clear signs on the scan

326
00:20:29,260 --> 00:20:32,900
of what could be regrowth
in my tumour,

327
00:20:32,900 --> 00:20:37,900
and that's not what we would expect
to see with a tumour of my type,

328
00:20:37,900 --> 00:20:42,380
and especially because we've been
poisoning it for months now

329
00:20:42,380 --> 00:20:45,980
with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

330
00:20:50,180 --> 00:20:53,820
I got unlucky in March 2024.

331
00:21:02,060 --> 00:21:04,420
I set out to do Meall nan Tarmachan.

332
00:21:04,420 --> 00:21:09,180
We were ten minutes from
the car park and I had a seizure,

333
00:21:09,180 --> 00:21:11,460
and that was a pretty awkward
place to be.

334
00:21:11,460 --> 00:21:14,900
So, I think my lips are probably
twitching a little bit

335
00:21:14,900 --> 00:21:17,540
as well as my hand,

336
00:21:17,540 --> 00:21:22,380
and that tends to be how
a seizure expresses itself,

337
00:21:22,380 --> 00:21:27,260
where you lose control of, erm,

338
00:21:27,260 --> 00:21:29,860
parts of your body,
and in my case,

339
00:21:29,860 --> 00:21:33,500
because my tumour is in
the right-hand side of my brain,

340
00:21:33,500 --> 00:21:36,740
next to the part that controls

341
00:21:36,740 --> 00:21:40,940
motor or movement function
down the left-hand side of my body,

342
00:21:40,940 --> 00:21:46,660
and has an impact on the sensory
functions down that side.

343
00:21:48,620 --> 00:21:51,060
It did go on for quite a while,
and it went on

344
00:21:51,060 --> 00:21:56,060
to a point where my colleague
and others who had, erm...

345
00:21:56,060 --> 00:21:58,420
..other hill walkers
who'd gathered to help,

346
00:21:58,420 --> 00:22:02,380
decided that they needed to...
to call for emergency help.

347
00:22:04,780 --> 00:22:06,940
And I was winched off the hill.

348
00:22:12,020 --> 00:22:15,380
It's just something to...
to live with and to manage.

349
00:22:15,380 --> 00:22:17,780
And, you know, over time,

350
00:22:17,780 --> 00:22:20,260
the number of incidents of that
have...you know,

351
00:22:20,260 --> 00:22:23,100
have reduced very significantly.

352
00:22:28,620 --> 00:22:31,980
I certainly wouldn't have wished
to be in this situation,

353
00:22:31,980 --> 00:22:33,700
but I'm still having a good life.

354
00:22:33,700 --> 00:22:36,340
I'm learning to live with my cancer.

355
00:22:36,340 --> 00:22:39,980
I'm not going to worry
about dying from it,

356
00:22:39,980 --> 00:22:43,420
unless that's staring me
in the...in the face.

357
00:22:43,420 --> 00:22:48,940
And I want to get as much
out of every day as I possibly can.

358
00:22:52,380 --> 00:22:56,380
So, this is the anniversary weekend
of me falling off my bike

359
00:22:56,380 --> 00:22:59,860
and breaking ten ribs, and I suppose
it's the anniversary weekend

360
00:22:59,860 --> 00:23:04,140
of what turned out to be the start
of my cancer journey.

361
00:23:04,140 --> 00:23:09,700
And to mark that, I have asked
a bunch of people to come together

362
00:23:09,700 --> 00:23:14,580
and to cycle pretty much the route
I was on when I fell off my bike.

363
00:23:14,580 --> 00:23:16,060
Thanks very much for being here.

364
00:23:16,060 --> 00:23:18,620
Thanks for raising lots of money
for a good cause,

365
00:23:18,620 --> 00:23:21,620
and have a great cycle.
WHOOPING AND CLAPPING

366
00:23:21,620 --> 00:23:24,820
Brain Power is about getting
more money into research,

367
00:23:24,820 --> 00:23:28,060
and very specifically, it's about

368
00:23:28,060 --> 00:23:32,620
helping establish a new research
centre here in Scotland.

369
00:23:32,620 --> 00:23:35,100
Have a great cycle, folks.

370
00:23:35,100 --> 00:23:38,900
And the simple idea is the more
scientific brain power

371
00:23:38,900 --> 00:23:41,580
you have focused on this
or any other problem,

372
00:23:41,580 --> 00:23:43,700
the better chance they've got

373
00:23:43,700 --> 00:23:46,140
of making the sort of breakthroughs
that are needed.

374
00:23:52,220 --> 00:23:55,260
Now, I'm not going to do it
all myself today,

375
00:23:55,260 --> 00:23:58,020
because the stage I'm at
in my cancer treatment,

376
00:23:58,020 --> 00:23:59,900
that probably wouldn't be
a good idea,

377
00:23:59,900 --> 00:24:04,700
but I am going to go home in a
minute and get my...get my Lycra on,

378
00:24:04,700 --> 00:24:07,820
and I'll pick up the journey
and hopefully get into the village

379
00:24:07,820 --> 00:24:11,500
of Gifford for the breakfast
that I was denied a year ago.

380
00:24:12,980 --> 00:24:15,580
Whoo! Fantastic.

381
00:24:15,580 --> 00:24:17,340
Great stuff.

382
00:24:17,340 --> 00:24:21,460
So, the accident itself just
happened just around that corner.

383
00:24:21,460 --> 00:24:26,700
I think it might be a wee bit dodgy
to start from the exact spot,

384
00:24:26,700 --> 00:24:29,780
but we're more or less in the area.

385
00:24:29,780 --> 00:24:31,740
All right, let's go for it.

386
00:24:33,580 --> 00:24:36,580
My doctors tell me I probably had
the brain tumour

387
00:24:36,580 --> 00:24:40,380
quietly growing in my head
for five years, maybe longer.

388
00:24:41,620 --> 00:24:45,580
I find it stunning, all the things
that I've done with a brain tumour

389
00:24:45,580 --> 00:24:47,940
without having the faintest idea.

390
00:24:49,180 --> 00:24:51,580
Hey, all the super-fast cyclists
are already here.

391
00:24:51,580 --> 00:24:53,300
Hey! Woohoo!

392
00:24:54,860 --> 00:24:56,740
Tea or coffee?
Can I have coffee, please?

393
00:24:56,740 --> 00:24:58,820
Yeah, a wee splash of milk
and that'd be lovely.

394
00:24:58,820 --> 00:25:00,540
There you go. Cheers.
I'll come and take...

395
00:25:03,740 --> 00:25:05,300
With a candle as well!

396
00:25:05,300 --> 00:25:07,340
I know it's not a birthday.

397
00:25:07,340 --> 00:25:09,220
I know it's not a birthday.
So this is...

398
00:25:09,220 --> 00:25:11,460
This is the breakfast I didn't get
a year ago.

399
00:25:11,460 --> 00:25:12,980
This is the breakfast.

400
00:25:16,020 --> 00:25:18,380
Man, that is so, so good.

401
00:25:18,380 --> 00:25:23,580
But it's kind of quite hard to think
that it was a year ago.

402
00:25:23,580 --> 00:25:26,460
How much has happened in that time?
In that time? I know.

403
00:25:32,500 --> 00:25:34,660
I grew up on the isle of Islay.

404
00:25:34,660 --> 00:25:37,620
My mum and dad ran the village shop.

405
00:25:38,820 --> 00:25:41,660
So it's really lovely to be home.

406
00:25:41,660 --> 00:25:43,660
This will always be a really special
place for me.

407
00:25:45,380 --> 00:25:49,140
I was just thinking, Mum,
you know, back a year,

408
00:25:49,140 --> 00:25:51,580
you know, obviously I had to pick up
the phone and tell you what was...

409
00:25:51,580 --> 00:25:54,500
..what was happening. Erm, you got
a bit of a shock, right?

410
00:25:54,500 --> 00:25:56,500
I did, I got a terrible shock.

411
00:25:56,500 --> 00:25:58,820
The bottom fell out of my world.

412
00:26:00,340 --> 00:26:02,420
SHE CLEARS HER THROAT
But...

413
00:26:02,420 --> 00:26:04,380
..I mean, you've coped with it
pretty well, haven't you?

414
00:26:05,900 --> 00:26:08,580
I think what's made me cope
with it so well

415
00:26:08,580 --> 00:26:11,700
is your whole attitude to it,

416
00:26:11,700 --> 00:26:13,620
and...

417
00:26:13,620 --> 00:26:16,660
..erm, your determination.

418
00:26:16,660 --> 00:26:19,220
I had the belief that you...

419
00:26:19,220 --> 00:26:21,900
It wasn't... Although it's bad,

420
00:26:21,900 --> 00:26:25,140
it wasn't going to be as bad

421
00:26:25,140 --> 00:26:27,060
as you thought it was,

422
00:26:27,060 --> 00:26:29,100
because there was no way
I was losing you

423
00:26:29,100 --> 00:26:31,260
within a year or a year and a half.

424
00:26:31,260 --> 00:26:32,740
And you were right. And I was right.

425
00:26:32,740 --> 00:26:34,220
Well, certainly about
the year anyway.

426
00:26:34,220 --> 00:26:36,300
THEY LAUGH

427
00:26:39,660 --> 00:26:41,540
This is Machir Bay,

428
00:26:41,540 --> 00:26:45,260
and it's one of my favourite places
on the planet.

429
00:26:45,260 --> 00:26:49,300
It's a great place to come
and sweep away the cobwebs.

430
00:26:49,300 --> 00:26:54,380
There's great clarity in being
confronted with your own mortality,

431
00:26:54,380 --> 00:26:58,420
because you realise what...

432
00:26:58,420 --> 00:27:01,900
..really matters in life, and maybe
what doesn't matter quite so much.

433
00:27:01,900 --> 00:27:05,940
And what matters
is family and friends

434
00:27:05,940 --> 00:27:08,740
and good times and...

435
00:27:09,820 --> 00:27:12,900
..making memories.
I'm still interested in...

436
00:27:12,900 --> 00:27:16,060
..in my...in my work and in politics

437
00:27:16,060 --> 00:27:17,980
and current affairs.

438
00:27:17,980 --> 00:27:20,220
Erm, but at the same time,

439
00:27:20,220 --> 00:27:23,940
I realise that that's not the most
important thing in my life.

440
00:27:31,100 --> 00:27:33,140
PHONE LINE RINGING

441
00:27:36,100 --> 00:27:38,700
Hi, darling.
Hello, Mum, how are you?

442
00:27:38,700 --> 00:27:41,500
I'm very well, thanks. How are you,
more to the point?

443
00:27:41,500 --> 00:27:44,180
Well, we've just had the results

444
00:27:44,180 --> 00:27:47,380
and the doctor thinks
the treatment's working,

445
00:27:47,380 --> 00:27:51,260
and the scans are a lot clearer
than they were before.

446
00:27:51,260 --> 00:27:53,300
Oh, great. Great.

447
00:27:53,300 --> 00:27:54,780
Oh, that's brilliant.

448
00:27:54,780 --> 00:27:57,100
That must have been an awful relief
to you.

449
00:27:57,100 --> 00:27:59,020
Oh, Claire and I are delighted.

450
00:27:59,020 --> 00:28:00,660
Oh, yeah, and so am I, pet.

451
00:28:00,660 --> 00:28:02,460
Oh, that's wonderful news.

452
00:28:02,460 --> 00:28:06,300
Oh, well, away and have a nice
coffee or something like that.

453
00:28:06,300 --> 00:28:08,980
I think something stronger
than that, Granny. Come on.

454
00:28:08,980 --> 00:28:11,340
Well, I don't know. Will he take
anything stronger?

455
00:28:11,340 --> 00:28:13,540
Oh, not for him. Me!
THEY LAUGH