A 40-year-old British father of two, Sam Suriakumar, was diagnosed with a glioma in February 2020 after experiencing unusual symptoms that he initially dismissed. One of the earliest signs was a strong, unexplained smell of bleach, which he assumed was from household cleaning.

According to his account shared with Brain Tumor Research, Suriakumar recalled, “It was a smell like ammonia or bleach, and it felt like a cleaning agent was filling up my mouth. I now know this as a symptom or a warning sign called an aura.” These auras are often linked to certain types of brain activity or seizures and can precede more severe neurological events.

Suriakumar, who was healthy and physically active, began experiencing the smell intermittently, including during a workout at the gym. “I felt like I was going to collapse, and I had to put the weight down,” he said. “I didn’t know it was a trigger warning that something was going on in my brain.”

Seizure on the London Underground Leads to Hospitalization

The pivotal moment came while he was commuting home from his office in central London. After feeling unwell throughout the day, Suriakumar boarded the subway and soon experienced a tonic-clonic seizure. “My seizure was so severe that I fell off my seat, and the contractions were so violent that I dislocated my shoulder,” he recalled.

Emergency services were alerted, and he was taken off at Balham station by station staff before being transported to St. George’s Hospital. He reportedly had another seizure in the ambulance on the way.

Despite having no previous health issues, doctors initially struggled to determine the cause. “I had some scans and a lumbar puncture. At first, nothing really showed, but a further scan revealed a mass on my brain,” Suriakumar said. It was eventually diagnosed as a glioma.

Understanding Gliomas and Their Impact

According to the Cleveland Clinic, a glioma is a type of tumor that originates in the brain or spinal cord. It includes several subtypes such as astrocytomas, ependymomas, and oligodendrogliomas. These tumors can be aggressive and may require a combination of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Gliomas can appear in both children and adults and often affect areas of the brain responsible for essential functions like speech, memory, and mobility.

Suriakumar’s tumor was described as growing like a “cobweb,” making it difficult to remove without damaging critical areas of the brain. Doctors informed him that only about 40 percent of the tumor could be removed surgically.

Ongoing Treatment and Health Setbacks

Following the diagnosis, Suriakumar’s life changed dramatically. He was unable to work or drive and had to navigate the challenges of treatment while entering the first COVID-19 lockdown. In July 2023, while attending a wedding in Brazil, Suriakumar learned that his tumor had grown after two years of stability.

He underwent surgery after returning to the UK, followed by a biopsy, radiotherapy at the Royal Marsden in Sutton, and a year-long course of chemotherapy. “I was really sick during chemotherapy,” he said, noting a 44-pound weight loss.

Looking Ahead: Monitoring and Milestones

Despite the difficult treatment journey, Suriakumar has focused on regaining his strength and celebrating milestones. In April 2025, he participated in a fitness competition in Belgium. He recently marked his 40th birthday, a significant personal goal. “When I was first diagnosed, I didn’t even think I’d see the end of the week. Turning 40 was a massive dream for me,” he said.

His most recent scan, conducted in May 2025, showed stability in the tumor. He now undergoes check-up scans every six months.

“I couldn’t speak, hear or understand what was going on,” he said of his early days post-diagnosis. “But I’ve come this far, and I’m still here.”

Suriakumar continues to raise awareness about the early signs of brain tumors and the importance of not ignoring unusual bodily signals, no matter how minor they may seem.

New advice from the NHS suggests that people who stop taking weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro should have check-ups for at least a year. The main reason for this is that it's very common for people to gain most of the weight once they stop the medication.

The guidance from NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) emphasizes that managing weight is a long-term effort, not a quick fix. Patients need extra help and a clear plan to maintain their new weight, which includes habits like eating healthy food and being physically active.

Clinical trials show that people on these drugs often regain a lot of the weight they lost. For example, a trial for Wegovy found that patients put back on about two-thirds of their lost weight after they stopped the injections. It was a similar story for those who took Mounjaro.

Professor Jonathan Benger from NICE explained that the time right after stopping treatment is very important. He said people need "structured support" to keep up the healthy changes they've made. The new advice encourages patients to create healthy habits, use tools to monitor their own weight, and get support from family, friends, and online groups.

Why Are Weight Loss Drugs Popular in UK?

Obesity affects about one in four adults in England. While an estimated 1.5 million people in the UK are using these weight-loss jabs, most are paying for them privately and won't get this NHS support.

Wegovy is available on the NHS for a period of two years for those who have health problems because of their weight and have a high BMI. The drug Mounjaro is expected to be offered to about 240,000 people over the next three years, and there's no set time limit for how long they can take it.

Both drugs work by reducing a person's appetite. They are given along with programs that help people make healthy changes to their diet and exercise habits.

Does Mounjaro Work For Everyone?

The UC Health explains that currently Mounjaro is approved for people with diabetes, not for those who are overweight or obese without diabetes. There is still a lot we have to learn about Mounjaro and researchers are working on the same. A big question that everyone who wishes to start on the weight loss drug are thinking about is whether you will have to keep using the drug forever or can you stop.

To maintain the weight loss achieved with Mounjaro, you will likely need to keep taking the medication indefinitely.

If you lose a significant amount of weight with Mounjaro, Wegovy, or Ozempic, you will likely need to continue taking the medication to keep the weight off. People who have stopped taking Ozempic and Wegovy have typically regained the weight they lost.

As one UC Health expert noted that if you stop taking these medications, and don’t change your behaviors, then the weight can pile back on. Since Mounjaro is newer, there is less information about long-term use, but the trend is expected to be similar.

“This is a warning specifically for parents” — Influencer Michael Brown recently released a video warning parents as well as others, about a potentially addictive drink that is easily available at gas stations in the US. He detailed how, during a casual visit to the gas station store for a beverage, he was approached by a young boy who asked him to buy ‘Feel Free’ for him. Despite being refused, the kid persisted and even tried lunging for Michael’s wallet, leaving him shaken up.

While paying at the counter, Michael recalled asking the shop cashier what ‘Feel Free’ was, to which she pointed at little blue bottles on the counter. She said people are so addicted to it that sometimes they visit 5–6 times a day to buy it — “It’s addictive and people lose their minds.” A quick look at the comments section of the post, which now has more than 9 million views on Instagram, had many people shocked at the severity of the drink and its consequences. Different healthcare professionals also detailed their experience with patients. “It’s Kratom! Have had patients with seizures because of this and also babies experiencing withdrawal from maternal use during pregnancy. It’s no joke,” commented Dr. Shilpa, MD, Child Neurologist and Development Specialist.

To know how many people are affected or it continues to affect, you do not have to look too far — a subreddit known as QuittingFeelFree, which has 5k members, and QuittingKratom with 52k members, are prime spots to get first-person accounts of people who struggled for years or months with their addictions.

In one of the stories, Jasmine Adeoye from Austin posted on TikTok that just a few months before June 2024, she drank several bottles of Feel Free a day and found that quitting it was not easy.

Last year, the production company of Feel Free also faced lawsuits, however, many people are not aware of the same. CBS News had reported that Botanic Tonics had also faced a class-action lawsuit filed in 2023. The lawsuit alleged that the company's marketing was misleading and targeted individuals with a history of addiction. In a statement, the company said it had "fallen short of the high standards of transparency" and implemented changes like enhanced labeling and age restrictions.

Feel Free and List of Ingredients

One of the main ingredients listed in the ‘Feel Free’ drinks is ground kratom leaves. Now a regular person would think — how bad can leaves be? — and consume the drink, but it’s these same leaves that are risky and can lead to severe addiction.

Native to Southeast Asia, the US Food and Drug Administration explains that it also carries the risk of addiction, seizures, and, in rare cases, death. Since kratom is unregulated in the U.S., some products are sold in highly concentrated forms and may contain contaminants like heavy metals and harmful bacteria.

What Happens with Unregulated Use of Kratom?

The American Addiction Centers detailed how lower doses of kratom could help people increase energy and alertness, while higher doses could produce effects similar to that of opioid drug abuse. They detailed a 7-year study done from 2011–2017. The study pointed out how there were 1,800 calls to poison control centers about kratom, with most of those calls happening in the last two years of that period. Here are some things that can happen with unregulated use of kratom:

Addiction and Withdrawal

While it's not common, long-term and heavy kratom use can lead to addiction. People who stop using it suddenly might experience withdrawal symptoms that feel similar to the flu, such as nausea, vomiting, body aches, and chills.

Lack of Regulation

The FDA has not approved kratom for any use. This means that kratom products are not regulated and can sometimes be contaminated with dangerous substances like heavy metals and harmful bacteria. The FDA has warned consumers not to use kratom and has seized shipments of kratom-containing products.

Mixing with Other Substances

Taking kratom with other drugs or alcohol can be very dangerous. In rare but serious cases, this combination has led to severe side effects like liver damage and even death.

Overdose

Overdosing on kratom alone is very rare. However, when it is combined with other substances, the risk increases. For example, a CDC report linked kratom to 152 deaths in 2016 and 2017, but other substances were involved in 87% of those cases.

Over the past few years, doctors and researchers have noticed a clear pattern: more young adults are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer—those under 50. On the surface, some of this surge can be credited to increased screening, especially following guideline updates that lowered the recommended starting age from 50 to 45. But deeper beneath those screening numbers lies a troubling reality: diagnoses among truly younger adults aren’t solely due to being screened earlier. That means we’re facing a bigger shift, one that demands fresh solutions.

In 2018, the American Cancer Society recommended colorectal cancer screening begin at age 45—five years earlier than before. In 2021, the US Preventive Services Task Force followed suit. Unsurprisingly, this led to a jump in early-stage diagnoses among 45-to-49-year-olds.

ACS data published in JAMA shows a steady increase in screening rates: from 20.8% in 2019 and 19.7% in 2021, rising to 33.7% in 2023 among that age group. A second ACS-led study tracked early-stage diagnosis rates—from 9.4 cases per 100,000 in 2019, to 11.7 in 2021, then 17.5 in 2022. That’s a 50% relative increase between 2021 and 2022. Experts note this trend largely reflects held-back cases being detected earlier thanks to broader testing.

But that doesn’t chalk up the entire story. Colon and rectal cancers have been increasing steadily in younger adults—those under 45—for decades. This early-onset rise began in the mid-1990s and includes late-stage diagnoses—not just early detection.

Who Is Getting Diagnosed?

Doctors stress that while the decline in age recommendations helped some, it doesn’t explain the persistent rise in younger adults. In fact, research suggests annual case increases of 2–2.6% have occurred since 2012 among those under 50. In the 20–39 age group, incidence has been rising by around 1.6% per year since 2004.

More than 20% of colorectal cancer cases now occur in adults under 55—double the rate from the mid-1990s. Alarmingly, this early-onset trend is contributing to colorectal cancer becoming the leading cause of cancer death among younger men and the second-leading cause among younger women.

These are not always lifestyle-driven cases. Many patients are young, active, and with no known family history. As clinicians, many have expressed how unsettling it is to see so many seemingly healthy people presenting with aggressive tumors—and often at advanced stages.

What Might Be Driving This Worrisome Surge?

Researchers are testing multiple theories—but none yet fully explain the rise:

Gut microbe toxins such as colibactin, produced by certain E. coli, are drawing attention. These toxins leave a specific DNA mutation fingerprint in early-onset tumors—over three times more common compared to cancers in older patients. Some studies suggest 15% of early-onset cases involve colibactin-driven mutations.

Diet- and lifestyle-related risks remain central: obesity, processed meats, low-fiber diets, sedentary behavior, refined sugar, insufficient sleep, and environmental pollutants. One prominent study links higher birth and adolescent BMI with increased colon cancer risk later in life. Even every additional kilogram at birth above normal is tied to 9% higher colorectal cancer risk.

Other suspected contributors include microplastics, antibiotic use, and artificial light exposure, although more conclusive evidence is pending.

Symptoms You Should Never Ignore

Crucial to stopping this trend early is awareness. Here’s what to watch for—and not dismiss, even if you’re under 45:

• Rectal bleeding
• Persistent abdominal pain or cramping
• Changes in bowel habits or stool shape
• Unexplained weight loss or appetite changes

Jessica Star of ACS—lead author on both new JAMA papers—warns, more than half of cases in younger adults occurred in those not yet eligible for screening. So symptoms matter, regardless of age. If you're dismissed with a benign diagnosis like hemorrhoids, consider a second opinion.

How to Lower Your Risk?

Screening matters. Most colorectal cancers begin as precancerous polyps, and removing these early saves lives. Current recommended options include:

• Annual or triennial stool-based fecal tests
• Colonoscopy every 10 years
• Virtual colonoscopy every five years
• Sigmoidoscopy every five years

Promising new research shows that mailing stool test kits directly to eligible adults dramatically increases completed screenings—even more than simply offering choice. Yet, screening is still underused: more than 1 in 3 adults aged 45 and older report not getting screened as recommended. To reduce personal risk:

• Maintain healthy body weight and regular physical activity
• Cut back on red and processed meats, refined sugars, and ultraprocessed foods
• Boost fiber intake through plant-based nutrition
• Avoid tobacco and limit alcohol
• Stay alert to symptoms and seek screening or evaluation promptly when indicated

If you’re under 50—or even nearing that threshold—understand this: colorectal cancer is no longer just a disease of older adults. While earlier screening through age-lowering guidelines has helped catch many early-stage cancers in 45–49-year-olds, it doesn’t address the underlying, persistent rise in true early-onset cancer.

The surge among younger adults signals something deeper—and possibly preventable—but only if we tackle it strategically. That means screening more women and men at the right age, investing in research, and making early testing easier and more equitable.

As expert researchers remind us, we’re not merely diagnosing more cancers—we’re getting better at catching them earlier. But to save more lives, identify root causes, and reverse these trends, we must remain proactive. Not just for our generation—but for all who follow.