A dad was given just months to live after what he believed was a migraine turned out to be an incurable brain tumor.

Engin Tanak — a 42-year-old former chef from Cheshunt, England — started experiencing severe headaches in early 2025. He brushed them off as migraines and took over-the-counter painkillers, but the medication didn’t help.

The migraine got so intense one night that he and his partner Mirela Andreea Crunteanu, 35, decided to go to the emergency room. Scans later revealed that he had lesions on his brain that needed to be surgically removed.

Engin Tanak and Mirela Andreea Cuntreanu.Mirela Crunteanu / SWNS

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In April 2025, Tanak underwent surgery to remove the lesions when doctors discovered that they were cancerous. He was diagnosed with an aggressive grade 4 glioblastoma.

According to the Mayo Clinic, glioblastoma is the most common cancerous form of brain tumor in adults and can be difficult to treat because it grows and spreads quickly.

“I was emotionless and numb for a while. It was very scary, I can’t even explain it. The doctors made sure I knew how serious it was, and that was hard to hear,” Tanak told Southwest News Service. “Right at the start the doctors said a prognosis of six months to five years. It was hard to hear.”

Engin Tanak in the hospital.Mirela Crunteanu / SWNS
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“The diagnosis of aggressive cancer was not what we expected at all,” Crunteanu added.

After the surgery seemed to have been successful in removing most of the lesions, Tanak began chemotherapy and radiation between May and December 2025, which took a significant toll on his body.

Unfortunately, follow-up scans after treatment showed that another tumor had appeared.

Engin Tanak in the hospital.Mirela Crunteanu / SWNS
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“Things seemed okay after the first surgery because the surgeon believed it had all been removed. But at the end of the treatment the tumor had reappeared, and since then, everything has been an uphill battle,” Crunteanu said.

In April 2026, the dad of three underwent a second surgery hoping to remove up to 95% of the tumor. However, during surgery doctors realized that the tumor was wrapped around the motor cortex of the brain and couldn’t be removed.

Additionally, Tanak suffered a stroke during surgery, leaving him partially paralyzed. He now has limited mobility of his leg and shoulder, and one side of his mouth is experiencing weakness, impacting his speech.

Engin Tanak in the hospital.Mirela Crunteanu / SWNS
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“I was petrified,” Crunteanu recalled. “Then the focus was on rehabilitation, and he was transferred to a rehab centre, but he had a seizure from being tapered off steroids, so he didn’t end up being able to start the rehab. It was an uphill battle.”

Due to the aggressive nature of the tumor, Tanak was ultimately told a month after the second surgery that there was nothing else doctors could do, and he would need to enter palliative care.

“That was the worst meeting, I felt like I was being sent home to die,” he said.