Man left brain damaged after headache turned out to be ‘one in a million’ condition
Man left brain damaged after headache turned out to be ‘one in a million’ condition
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The incredibly rare condition affects fewer than one in a million people. A man has been left permanently brain damaged after a headache turned out to be a “one in a million” condition which almost killed him. Martin Griffiths, a 25-year-old from Boston, Lincolnshire, was “absolutely healthy” and “full of energy” he suffered a severe headache while working with his father, Jason, for a drainage company.
![[Martin in hospital with his mother, Lyndsey, and his girlfriend, Jess]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/24/10/14/01JJBJBTREVJPMP6M226VSS391.jpeg)
Jason said at the time he felt like he had been “hit round the back of the head” and he was quickly rushed to hospital. Initially diagnosed with a stroke, Martin was then told he had a brain tumour and was given just three to six months to live. However in a shock twist, a biopsy revealed there was no sign of cancer and instead Martin was diagnosed with an “incredibly rare” form of inflammation on the brain which affects less than one person in a million and is usually seen in the elderly.
![[Martin with his father Jason]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/24/10/59/01JJBJBQJAFP4MVEF0BV5TCZ27.jpeg)
Primary Angiitis of the Central Nervous System (PACNS) – a type of CNS Vasculitis — sees inflammation of blood vessels in the brain. “It’s incredibly rare, particularly at Martin’s age,” Jason said. After undergoing a procedure to eradicate the inflammation in his brain, Martin was placed in an induced coma and his condition deteriorated to the point his whole family, including his mother, Lyndsey Cheshire and his siblings, Aaron, 23, Chelsey, 19, and Nathan, 13, gathered at his bedside after deciding to switch off his life support.
![[Martin and Jason before he became unwell]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/24/10/56/01JJBJBMYD2Y0B88543550DXJZ.jpeg)
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