Armstrong Creek dad James Collier’s ‘golf ball size’ tumour discovery

An Armstrong Creek man has revealed how recurring headaches he assumed were caused by a dodgy pillow led to doctors identifying a “golf ball size” brain tumour.

James Collier with son Alex and wife Sam. Picture: Alison Wynd

Unexplainable headaches and brain fog led to doctors finding a “golf ball size” tumour in an Armstrong Creek dad’s brain.

James Collier, 57, began suffering recurring headaches 12 months ago that he initially put down to a “bad pillow”.

However, a few other “odd” symptoms set off alarm bells for the father-of-two.

“My wife noticed I was losing track of time,” he said.

“Not long after that … I was sitting at work having lunch and as quickly as you could click your fingers, my whole left hand went completely numb.”

Mr Collier also noticed significant memory lapses before deciding to get a computed tomography (CT) scan, which revealed a tumour caused by melanoma that had travelled to his brain.

Just two years prior, Mr Collier had a melanoma removed from his wrist and underwent a full-thickness skin graft using skin from his chest.

Two years before doctors found his brain tumour, Mr Collier had a melanoma removed from his wrist and underwent a full-thickness skin graft using skin from his chest. Picture: Alison Wynd

Now having to endure ongoing immunotherapy treatment, Mr Collier is a passionate advocate for skin cancer prevention.

“A lot of people think that to get melanoma you’ve got to be a sun worshipper,” he said.

“But I’m quite the opposite — I’m pale, I’ve worked indoors all my life, and I rarely go to the beach because if I did, I’d burn.

“One big thing people should do is have (skin checks) regularly.

“That’s one thing I never used to do, not until I had the melanoma removed from my wrist.”

Mr Collier admitted while his diagnosis came as a shock, it was not the first cancer scare his family had been through.

“We had a practise run two years ago when my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer,” he said.

“Thankfully her treatment has been successful and her latest scans have been all clear, which is a great relief.”

Mr Collier said his family’s health challenges have made him appreciate the people around him more.

“When we found out I had the tumour, I remember my wife and I wondering what we had done wrong,” he said.

“It certainly drives home the message that you don’t know when your time is up.

“Someone that you love may be there one day, but not the next.”

Mr Collier will be attending the Melbourne Renegades match in Geelong on Thursday night with his two sons, where in an effort to promote sun safety, the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Advocacy Network is running free skin checks.

Attendees will also be able to check their ‘true skin age’ using technology that shows the extent of UV damage to a person’s skin.

Originally published as Armstrong Creek dad James Collier’s ‘golf ball size’ tumour discovery