A PROMINENT Newquay councillor who passed away on Tuesday spoke last year about his battle against illness.

Kevin Towill, aged 46, who represented Newquay Porth and Tretherras at Cornwall Council, endured four years of sickness and stomach issues before being diagnosed with a brain tumour in January 2024.

His symptoms were attributed to mental health despite raising concerns with doctors. He was prescribed antidepressants, medication he said made him feel “the worst I’ve ever felt”.

In desperation, Mr Towill refused to leave the Royal Cornwall Hospital until he was diagnosed. It was then that a neurologist requested an MRI, which revealed a mass at the back of his head, near the base of his spine.

Mr Towill said at the time: “I’d been suffering for years, constant sickness, stomach complaints, but no one joined the dots. Being given antidepressants was awful, it made everything worse.

“When the MRI finally showed a mass on my brain, it was this strange mix of relief and horror. Relief that after four years they had finally found what was wrong, and horror at what that meant.”

Soon after the discovery, Mr Towill was transferred to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, where he was told he required urgent brain surgery. The procedure carried significant risks, including mobility issues, facial paralysis, speech impairment, and even death.

Mr Towill underwent a 12-hour operation, during which surgeons removed the ependymoma tumour, a type of low-grade tumour. Complications from surgery affected his speech, sight, and mobility.

He said at the time: “The doctors explained everything clearly, but nothing prepares you for it. I thought rehab might be a couple of days a week. I had no idea I’d be in hospital for 10 months.

“My councillor laptop was a lifeline. Being able to keep working helped distract me from everything I was going through.”