UPDATE: |Dad had ‘no control of his body’ before devastating diagnosis News

Dean Dunphy had muscle twitching and some stroke-like symptoms

A father-of-one was robbed of his speech and mobility by brain cancer. Dean Dunphy, 32, is now preparing to marry the love of his life in an intimate ceremony funded by public donations.

Van driver Dean who lives in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer, specifically glioblastoma, in August 2023 after experiencing stroke-like symptoms and muscle twitching.

His fiancée Michaela Connolly, 31, who works in admin, said Dean has “never been sick” and there is no family history of cancer, so the diagnosis, which doctors described as “an old man’s disease”, came completely “out of the blue”.

Dean underwent two brain surgeries to remove the cancerous tissue, leaving him with a 10cm scar, and is now continuing to have treatment and regular check-ups to prevent the tumour from increasing in size.

The couple are currently planning for their upcoming wedding but, unbeknown to them until recently, family members had launched a 40,000 euro (£34,000) fundraiser to pay for the ceremony and medical bills as they currently cannot work, and professional fighter Conor McGregor donated 10,000 euro.

While Dean’s cancer has left him with slurred speech and limited mobility and his prognosis is uncertain, he is currently stable and said he “cannot wait” to marry Michaela next month.

Speaking on behalf of her soon-to-be husband, Michaela told PA Real Life: “After the engagement in January, we just thought, ‘What are we waiting for?’

“We’ve had two years of absolute madness, ups and downs, heartache, grief, bad news and good news, and I just said, ‘Let’s have something to look forward to for a change’. All I’ve ever wanted to do is marry him.”

Michaela and Dean’s paths first crossed in 2011 when Dean saw her profile on Facebook and added her as a friend. After messaging for several weeks, the pair arranged to meet in person at a party in March that year, and Michaela said: “The rest is history”.

Their relationship has since gone from strength to strength, with the couple welcoming their daughter Sloane, now three, in 2021. Dean had suffered with headaches and migraines ever since he was a child, but doctors said this was “common”.

Then in June 2023, he started experiencing sudden muscle twitching – and this even happened while driving on the motorway for work. “Thank God he managed to pull over because he said he was basically experiencing the symptoms of a stroke – his face dropped, his eyes dropped,” Michaela said.

“His whole right side was dragged down, he was leaning against the door, and he couldn’t get up, but then a minute later he was back to normal.” Dean told Michaela it felt like he had “no control of his body” and she therefore rushed him to their local A&E department, followed by another hospital.

It was suspected Dean might have Bell’s palsy, which causes paralysis or weakness on one side of the face, but blood tests, scans and examinations confirmed this was not the case. Weeks later in July, Michaela received a phone call from the hospital to say “they had found something on his brain”.

“We got called back in on July 24, our anniversary, and they said, ‘We can see what looks like a brain tumour’,” she explained. “They said they needed to operate to investigate further… and then we started to panic because we just thought, ‘Why is it all happening so fast?’.”

Dean underwent open brain surgery on August 24, Michaela’s 30th birthday. The seven-hour procedure went well, with surgeons able to remove the tissue for further testing, and Michaela was surprised by Dean’s first words.

“Instead of saying ‘hey’ or anything, he literally sang Happy Birthday to me and that was the greatest gift,” she said. However, one week later, doctors called to say “it’s not good news” as Dean had stage 4 brain cancer, specifically glioblastoma.

“They basically said, ‘It’s a type of brain cancer’, and as soon as we heard the word cancer, it was like white noise – I was in shock,” Michaela said. Two weeks later, Dean underwent a second surgery to remove the other “active” cancerous tissue around the brain.

He then started chemotherapy and radiotherapy and, in August 2024, during a recovery period, they decided to go on a family holiday to Spain with doctors’ approval. However, they had to rush home just days later as Dean’s symptoms went from “zero to 100”.

“The day after we landed, Dean couldn’t walk, his speech was slurred, and it was nearly like he was in and out of consciousness,” Michaela said. Doctors then discovered swelling in his brain, and he started having more chemotherapy and a “blocker treatment” to prevent the tumour from increasing in size.

He is still continuing with treatment to manage his symptoms and has check-ups every three months, but in the meantime, he and Michaela are planning for their wedding at Opium in Dublin on May 18. The couple had no idea about the fundraiser until recently, and Michaela initially “thought it was a scam”.

“I clicked it and it said, ‘Help Dean Marry His Childhood Love While Battling Cancer’, and I just thought, ‘What the hell?’ Is this real? Is this a scam?’,” she said. “It’s literally exploded and all the donations have been so unexpected.”

Michaela described the last two years as “unfair”, but she said they now have a “new perspective on life” and want to enjoy every single minute together as a family. Dean’s prognosis is uncertain, but he said his daughter Sloane has “kept him going” and the couple are now passionate about raising more awareness of brain cancer because “too many people” are losing their lives.

Michaela said: “I got engaged, that’s all I’ve ever wanted in this life. With the fundraiser, it’s such a weight lifted off our shoulders and we will never have enough words to thank people.

“We can’t express how happy and how loved we feel, and we just want to raise as much awareness of brain cancer as possible.” To donate or find out more, visit the GoFundMe page here