Tumour leaves former baller fighting for life

For more than a year, a brain tumour roughly the size of a grape has robbed Victor 'Keegan' Samuels of not only his strength, but his passion to coach his favourite sport, football.

After falling severely ill, Samuels was diagnosed in February 2023 with two benign tumours in the frontal lobe of his brain. However, weeks before his diagnosis, Samuels realised that he had been strangely forgetful.

"I was forgetting a few things, like the regular things that I would normally do. So, like turning the key in the door became a problem for me, but I didn't know exactly what it was. And then on February 13, I feel really sick. My left hand was weak and my bodily function was just not normal," Samuels explained, adding that he had also felt extremely fatigued weeks before his diagnosis.

Still, for Samuels, the tumour diagnosis was shocking because as an avid football player and as coach, he was very active.

"It came as a surprise, because I was exercising every day and in addition to coaching, I was playing football twice a week," Samuels explained. After his diagnosis, Samuels needed an emergency surgery costing $1.8 million at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI). Doctors successfully removed the larger tumour, but could not touch the second one because of its location. Now Samuels urgently needs $ 1,272,000 for six rounds of chemotherapy to destroy it. He also still has a hefty hospital bill at the UHWI of $429,668.50.

"I need chemo so that it can be reduced or, hopefully, completely remove the remainder of the tumour, because I've had three seizures since my surgery," Samuels said, adding that his last seizure was in May. Although they have not been severe, he fears they will get worse.

Samuels also told THE STAR that he has no savings left to cover this treatment, and is appealing to the public for help so that he may have a normal life again. He has also launched a GoFundMe account with the goal to raise US$10,000 (approximately $1.5 million). Of that sum, only $420 has been raised.

"I don't know how I even get a GoFundMe set up because I am not that type of person, but I had to reach out even though I'm very private. This would go a long way and I would really appreciate all the help, because I would really like to move on with my life," Samuels said, adding that he misses being able to work and do what he enjoys.

When he was a student at Kingston College, Samuels was an active and vibrant football player. In 1994, he was member of the Jamaica national youth team, but after he retired from playing the sport competitively, he decided to pass on his love and knowledge of the sport to the next generation of players.

"I need to get back into coaching, it is what I love. I might not be able to play, but I know I can pass on some of the knowledge that I have," Samuels said.

Those wishing to assist Victor Samuels may donate at National Commercial Bank, Half-Way Tree branch, savings account No. 305401137 or Scotiabank, New Kingston branch, chequing account No. 000807824, both in the name of Victor Samuels.