Podcasts · Aunty M Brain Tumours Talk Show

I Forgot How To Drive. | Delyth’s Oligodendroglioma Story

6 Mar 2026 · 15 min

Delyth Smith was diagnosed with an oligodendroglioma in late 2023.

For years, she felt like her health was declining. She blamed COVID, menopause, and depression. But something wasn’t right.

A passionate climber and mountaineer, she could suddenly barely walk. She forgot how to drive in the middle of town. Her personality shifted — impulsive, emotionally volatile, swearing without filter. It felt bigger than menopause.

Then, while recording social media interviews in Sheffield, she had a major seizure.

She woke in an ambulance, confused, having bitten through her tongue. A CT scan revealed what she describes as a “snowball” behind her eye.

Within a week, she underwent an eight-hour craniotomy.

In this episode, Delyth shares:

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subtle neurological and personality changes caused by a frontal lobe tumour

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the seizure that led to diagnosis

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waiting weeks to learn exactly what type of tumour it was

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a large, slow-growing oligodendroglioma with calcification

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an eight-hour “flip-top” craniotomy removing 90%

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complications including cerebrospinal fluid leakage

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infection, emergency re-operation and high-dose antibiotics

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the emotional intensity of high-dose steroids

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the trauma of long hospital stays and witnessing others’ terminal diagnoses

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Christmas after diagnosis and the strain on family

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scan monitoring and the uncertainty of regrowth

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writing a book about the patient journey and “tumour humour”

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why mental health during hospitalisation matters just as much as treatment

Delyth speaks with sharp honesty, dark humour, and raw vulnerability about losing identity — and slowly rebuilding it.

⚠️ Content note: This episode includes seizures, neurosurgery, infection complications, hospital trauma, and steroid-induced emotional changes.

The episode on the publisher’s site ↗ (opens in a new tab)