Heartbreaking appeal as Irish man looks to defy the odds in deadly brain cancer battle

An Irish man living with an aggressive brain cancer has launched a fundraiser to buy a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber that he says could dramatically improve his chances of survival.

Wexford native Jamie Kavanagh has already undergone two major surgeries since first being diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2021. Despite the devastating prognosis - just 5% of people with this form of cancer survive beyond two years - Jamie is still fighting three years on, and is determined to defy the odds.

"So the fantastic thing about this hyperbaric oxygen chamber is that it makes a very poor outcome much more positive, and the survival rates increase dramatically by the use of this – and that is really what this is about. It's about survival," Jamie said in a video appeal.

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He explained that the treatment works alongside his current regime of chemotherapy and medication: "I don't need lots of different medications; I'm taking as much medication as possible, but this treatment makes those medicines work much more effectively, and my outlook is greatly improved by the use of the hyperbaric oxygen."

Jamie's GoFundMe campaign has so far raised over €5,300 of its €45,000 goal, with donations pouring in from across the country.

The money will go towards buying a hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) chamber, a medical device that allows patients to breathe pure oxygen in a pressurised environment, promoting healing, reducing inflammation, and potentially slowing the progression of disease.

Jamie first realised something was wrong in 2021 when he developed headaches that wouldn't go away.

"It wasn't being cured by painkillers, or aspirin, or paracetamol or anything like that. So I went to the GP, had an MRI, and unfortunately, the results of the MRI came back and it was a brain tumour," he recalled.

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Within days, he underwent emergency surgery to remove the tumour, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. For a time, his scans came back clear, until he suddenly collapsed in late 2024 with tests revealing that the cancer had returned.

"I was feeling well, I was very good. Regular checkups every three months, that was fine. All clear, all clear. And then, unfortunately, I felt very unwell very quickly and collapsed. And as a result of the scans following the collapse, the brain tumours had come back again."

Another surgery followed, and Jamie is now doing everything possible to prolong his life. He currently has access to a hyperbaric chamber on loan, but will soon have to return it. His goal is to buy one outright, not only to help himself, but also to make it available to others in the locality who may benefit from it.

"Once I have the chamber operating, I will make it available for anyone in the local community for operating costs only, to give something back. So you might be helping many other people also," he said.

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Jamie admits the journey has been incredibly difficult: "I work for myself, so this brain tumour had a huge impact on my ability to work, my life, my health. I would be a strong person normally, but this is quite an uphill battle to deal with. And the main point of it is to try and get through as best I can with what I have."

But despite the statistics, he refuses to give up hope: "It's not a very good prognosis in general. Anybody who does any internet research on it, it's negative, negative, negative – but my hope is to be the positive story."

Those wishing to support Jamie's fight can make a donation to his GoFundMe campaign HERE.