A FORMER drag queen diagnosed with a brain tumour is sharing his story in a hard-hitting campaign launched by a national research charity.
Eddie Ruggiero stars in the advertisement campaign Stop the Devastation which has been started by charity Brain Tumour Research.
The campaign hopes to raise awareness of brain tumours and expose the history of underfunding for research into the disease.
Eddie, 33, was living in Brighton and working as a drag queen Eddie OK Adams, even coming third in a pilot audition for what was to become the popular reality TV show Ru Paul’s Drag Race back in 2015.
But two years later Edward suffered a seizure and was rushed to hospital during the weekend of Brighton Pride.
Following several scans, he was diagnosed with a rare malignant brain tumour known as an anaplastic astrocytoma and was given three to fives year to live.
He underwent surgery and follow-up treatment. A life-threatening infection meant the removal of part of his skull. He chose not to continue with gruelling chemotherapy.
Eddie, who now lives in Bedford, said: “The treatment made me so ill, and I can’t understand why in this age of modern medicine the treatment options available for people like me are so barbaric, more barbaric than the disease itself.
“I want to have the best quality of life for whatever time I have left. I have been offered reconstructive surgery but the truth is, at the moment, I would rather live with a big dent in my skull than go through another operation.
“It’s certainly a talking point and if I can use it to raise awareness of how things are for patients like me that is a positive thing.”
Four years on from his diagnosis, Eddie says he feels like he is living on “borrowed time.”
Eddie’s mum Julie Ruggiero, who also lives in Bedford, described her son’s treatment as “brutal”
Julie, 65, said: “Edward has told me he isn’t afraid of dying but I am terrified to think about life without him. It seems so unfair that brain tumours kill more people under 40 than any other cancer. How can it be that there are so few treatments?
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“They cut them out with surgery, burn them with radiation and then poison them with chemotherapy. Underneath all of this there is a human being like my son.”
Eddie and Julie are both supporting the Stop the Devastation Campaign, which is being launched at Wimbledon and will include outdoor advertising at other prominent sites in London.
Hugh Adams, a spokesman for Brain Tumour Research said: “Stop the Devastation lays bare the powerful and painful truth about brain tumours – they are indiscriminate, they can affect anyone at any age, there is no cure and for many, sadly, there is little or no hope.
“We are extremely grateful to Eddie for opening up on camera to star in the campaign. By sharing his moving story, he is helping us raise awareness and to drive change.
"Brain Tumour Research is determined to make progress by creating awareness of the horrifying statistics, by funding research at its Centres of Excellence and through its continued lobbying of the Government and the larger cancer charities to increase the national spend.”
To donate £5 text NOMORE to 70085
For more information go to www.braintumourresearch.org/stop-the-devastation
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