Helpline 07939 046 030

It’s a Kind of Magic

03 August 2020

Mike's Story

Mike Brennan has had to deal with the stigma as well as the symptoms of NF1, which he has battled since he was a young child. Here he talks about nevertheless building a life that’s not defined by NF, and about his love of magic.

I have been interested in magic since I was very young. I had found a decent magic club, the Manchester Circle of Magicians near me, but then got involved with the Blackpool Magicians Club. Even though it was 60 miles away, I went there because it is a club that is revered all over the world.

Every February, it hosts the Blackpool Magicians Convention, which according to Guinness World Records is the world’s largest magic convention. It takes over the whole of the huge Winter Gardens complex, and there’s hardly a room available to stay in the whole of Blackpool. It attracts professional magicians from all over the world, and the shows and lectures feature some of the most talented and famous magicians on the planet, including Uri Geller this year. We book acts up to two years in advance as these are top Las Vegas acts and are very much in demand. These shows are also spectacular – one Italian magician is bringing three articulated lorries of kit to stage his show – and some tricks can cost several thousand pounds to set up.

I became more involved in running the Club when I retired 8 years ago, first as the Librarian and for the last three years as Treasurer. The Convention has a featured charity every year, and I was able to persuade the Club to make Nerve Tumours UK the choice for this year.

I’m very grateful to Nerve Tumours UK for the support they have given myself and my family over many years. I’m 56 now, and I had my first operation when I was 4 years-old.

At the time, no-one knew about NF, just that there was something wrong with me. One diagnosis speculated that I had Proteus Syndrome, which is unkindly known as Elephant Man syndrome. It was only when I was in my teens that it was diagnosed as Von Recklinghausen’s Disease, which we now call NF1. Thankfully, once we had a diagnosis, we were able to get in touch with Link, which was the early name of Nerve Tumours UK.

Over the years, we have had great support and guidance from the charity. I have had a number of operations to reduce the tumour on the side of my face. I’ve had many other complications with other tumours. One grew in my large intestine that stopped me eating. My weight went from 11 stone to under 5 stone. Some of these operations were very dangerous – I almost died on the operating table three times.

Through all these ups and downs I kept working. I was with NatWest (which later became Royal Bank of Scotland) for 30 years. As my health worsened, they allowed me to take ill-health retirement at the age of 48. Being retired has meant I’ve had more time to get into magic, which I’ve greatly enjoyed. What was important to me about featuring Nerve Tumours UK at the Convention was not just the chance to raise funds (though that is greatly needed) but also to raise awareness about NF. When you look different, as I obviously do, people usually don’t like to say anything. Some people ask what’s wrong – they assume I’ve had a stroke. I’m happy to talk openly about my condition. If people think I look funny, I just think that’s their problem, not mine.

"My outlook on life is to look on the bright side. I enjoy life. NF is part of me, but it doesn’t define who I am. I am very glad to be able to help Nerve Tumours UK who have given so much help to me and very many others in our community."

– Mike

Filter News

Filter by Date
Category
Reset

Avastin Side Effects

Jo has collated shared personal experiences, with medical and general advice on Bevacizumab (brand name Avastin)

Read More

David’s Story - Community and Acceptance

David contacted NTUK after seeing our advertising campaign at King's Cross Station in London last year. Read his story:

Read More

Today is Giving Tuesday

Call out by Karen Cockburn, Charity Director, to donate and support the NF Community

Read More

Runderpants fun run

Get your Runderpants here! Set up a fun run wearing some special fundraising pants

Read More

Meet Sarah, our new Specialist NF Nurse

Sarah will be based in Leeds, supporting families across Yorkshire and Humberside

Read More

Meet Charmaine, Our New Specialist NF Nurse

Read More

Olivia’s NF1 story

Olivia and mam Kelly share their NF1 story, highlighting school achievements and support from NTUK Specialist Nurses

Read More

Eashan’s NF1 story

'Why Run'... Eashan was diagnosed with NF1 after losing his eyesight when he was 5. His mother Jen tells his story.

Read More

2023 Awareness Campaign

Nerve Tumours UK have joined forces with RBH to raise awareness for a second successive year.

Read More

Masterclasses in NF: Constitutional Mismatch Repair Deficiency Syndrome as Differential Diagnosis to NF1/Legius Syndrome - Prof. Dr. Katharina Wimmer

Constitutional Mismatch Repair Deficiency Syndrome as Differential Diagnosis to NF1/Legius Syndrome

Prof. Dr. Katharina Wimmer, Medical University of Innsbruck

Masterclasses in NF: Rare NF1-Associated Tumors in Adults - Eric Legius & Prof. Ellen Denayer

Masterclasses in NF: Rare NF1-Associated Tumors in Adults

Eric Legius, MD, PhD, University Hospital Leuven

Prof. Ellen Denayer, University Hospital Leuven

Masterclasses in NF: Optimising Hearing Outcomes in NF2-Related Schwannomatosis - Simon Freeman

Masterclasses in NF: Optimising Hearing Outcomes in NF2-Related Schwannomatosis

Simon Freeman, MPhil FRCS, Manchester Royal Infirmary and Salford Royal Hospital

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Dermatological Manifestations - Pierre Wolkenstein, Laura Fertitta & Sirkku Peltonen

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Dermatological Manifestations

Pierre Wolkenstein, MD, PhD, Hopital Henri-Mondor, Paris, France

Laura Fertitta, MD, Hôpital Universitaire Henri Mondor

Sirkku Peltonen, MD, PhD, University of Gothenberg, Sweden

Masterclasses in NF: Breast Cancer in NF1 - Gareth Evans

Masterclasses in NF: Breast Cancer in NF1

Gareth Evans, MD, University of Manchester, UK

Masterclasses in NF: Pain in Non-NF2-Related Schwannomatosis - David Pang

Masterclasses in NF: Pain in Non-NF2-Related Schwannomatosis

David Pang, MD, ChB. Guys and St Thomas' Hospital NHS Trust, London

Masterclasses in NF: Distinguishing Non-NF2-Related from NF2-Related Schwannomatosis - Clinical and Genetic Approaches - Said Farschtschi

Masterclasses in NF: Distinguishing Non-NF2-Related from NF2-Related Schwannomatosis - Clinical and Genetic Approaches

Said Farschtschi, MD, University Medical Center, Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis - Eric Legius & Prof. Ellen Denayer

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis

Eric Legius, MD, PHD, University Hospital of Leuven, Belgium

Prof. Ellen Denayer, University Hospital of Leuven, Belgium

NF2 Working Together: from a tentative diagnosis and beyond

Understanding the impact that a tentative diagnosis has on a parent. Information and access to the existing NTUK and Specialist Nerve Tumours medical and non medical care network.

NF1 Working Together Part 2: from a tentative diagnosis and beyond

Understanding the impact that a tentative diagnosis has on a parent. Information and access to the existing NTUK and Specialist Nerve Tumours medical and non medical care network.

NF1 Working Together Part 1: from a tentative diagnosis and beyond

Understanding  the impact that a tentative diagnosis has on a parent. Information and access to the existing NTUK and Specialist Nerve Tumours medical and non medical care network.

Masterclasses in NF: Surgery in NF2 - Michel Kalamarides & Andrew King

Masterclasses in NF: Surgery in NF2

Michel Kalamarides, MD, PhD, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France

Prof Andrew King, MBBS FRCS FRCS(SN), Salford Royal Hospital, Manchester, United Kingdom. Member of the MAB of Nerve Tumours UK

Masterclasses in NF: Cognition and Behaviour in NF1: Phenotype and Treatment Approaches - Shruti Garg, Andre Rietman

Masterclasses in NF: Cognition and Behaviour in NF1: Phenotype and Treatment Approaches

Dr Shruti Garg, MBBS, MRCPsych, MMedSci, PhD, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, United Kingdom. Member of the MAB of Nerve Tumours UK

Andre Rietman, PhD, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Masterclasses in NF: Emotional Challenges in NF1, NF2 and Schwannomatosis - Susie Henley, Thomas Pletschko & Verena Rosenmayr

Masterclasses in NF: Emotional Challenges in NF1, NF2 and Schwannomatosis

Susie Henley, DClinPsy, PhD, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London UK

Thomas Pletschko, PhD, Medical University of Vienna, Austria

Verena Rosenmayr, Clinical Psychologist, Medical University of Vienna, Austria

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Pediatric Management - Rianne Oostenbrink

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Pediatric Management

Rianne Oostenbrink, MD, PhD, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Masterclasses in NF: Associated Glioma in Children - the Optic Pathway and Beyond - Amedeo Azizi

Masterclasses in NF: Associated Glioma in Children - the Optic Pathway and Beyond

Amedeo Azizi, MD, PhD, Head of the Paediatric Neurofibromatosis Program and Paediatric Neuro-Oncology Program, Medical University of Vienna, Austria

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Orthopedic Manifestations - Eric Legius and Christophe Glorion

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Orthopedic Manifestations

Eric Legius, MD, PhD. Head of Clinical Genetics Department of the University Hospital Leuven, Belgium

Christophe Glorion, MD, PhD, Department of Paediatric Orthopedic and Traumatologic Surgery, Hopital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France. 

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumours - Rosalie Ferner and Viktor-Felix Mautner

Masterclasses in NF: NF1 Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumours

Prof Rosalie Ferner, Consultant Neurologist and Lead Clinician for Neurofibromatosis, Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London. Member of the MAB of Nerve Tumours UK and Trustee of Nerve Tumours UK

Viktor-Felix Mautner, MD, PhD. University Medical Centre in Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany. Head of NF Outpatient Department

Masterclasses in NF - Neurofibromatosis Type 1: Cutaneous Neurofibromas - Pierre Wolkenstein and Sirkku Peltonen

Masterclasses in NF - Neurofibromatosis Type 1: Cutaneous Neurofibromas

Pierre Wolkenstein, MD, PhD. Hopital Henri-Mondor, Paris, France. Head of the Department of Dermatology

Sirkku Peltonen MD, PhD. University of Gothenberg, Sweden. Professor of Dermatology

INFER (International NF Educational Resources) is a series of online educational lectures for medical professionals by leading neurofibromatosis experts. The Masterclasses take place online approximately once a month, each on a different topic, and include real-time interaction between the expert presenter and the participants. The presentations are conducted in English, with real-time audio interpretation available in 6 additional languages: French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. A recording of each INFER masterclass is then be made available online in each language for those who could not attend an event. INFER is an initiative of Children’s Tumor Foundation Europe, supported by an educational grant from AstraZeneca. https://ctfeurope.org/research/masterclasses-in-nf

BPNA Keynote Lecture - Prof Rosalie Ferner - Neurofibromatosis 1 in the 21st Century

‘Neurofibromatosis 1 in the 21st Century’

Keynote Lecture at the 48th British Paediatric Neurology Association Annual Scientific Meeting on 21st January 2022

Prof Rosalie Ferner, Consultant Neurologist and Lead Clinician for Neurofibromatosis, Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London. Member of the MAB of Nerve Tumours UK and Trustee of Nerve Tumours UK