How an Undiagnosed Brain Tumour left Mitch Wilson Blind at 19 Years Old

At 17, Mitch Wilson thought he was just an exhausted teenager.

But dizziness, daily vomiting, and excruciating headaches escalated into something far more sinister: a brain tumour that went undiagnosed for over a year due to medical neglect.

The delay cost him most of his eyesight… but not his spirit.

In this conversation, Mitch opens up about:

The terror of going to sleep wondering if he’d wake up completely in the dark

The angry, self-destructive years that followed

How a German shepherd called Blaze and para-cycling helped pull him back

Grief, therapy, purpose, and trying to figure out what life looks like now.

Now a world-class para-cyclist and newly married, Mitch is still figuring out what life looks like in the long term.

This is a story of survival, identity, sport, grief, love, and the stubborn refusal to give up. And it is one of those episodes that will stay with you.

Mitch Wilson.

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Who should be on the podcast next? Message Dom Instagram: @domharveynz Email: [email protected]

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Chapters

00:00 – The reality of life as a para-cyclist 02:24 – Mitch’s eyesight now: 5% vision and how he sees 04:50 – The fear of going to sleep blind 07:16 – The neurologist who sent him away 09:32 – Rage, blame and wanting someone to pay 11:43 – Who Mitch was before he got sick 14:09 – Vomiting every morning and brutal dizziness 18:57 – The optometrist who finally found the tumour 23:41 – Emergency brain surgery and “my new birthday” 28:18 – Watching his sight fade and fearing total darkness 30:29 – Six weeks of radiation and complications 32:54 – Second surgery and stereotactic radiation in Dunedin 35:18 – What his mum went through behind the scenes 37:08 – Giving up the dirt bike: accepting his old life is gone 39:34 – Alcohol, anger and losing friends 41:56 – Finding the gym and the first steps back 44:23 – Depression, exercise and choosing not to take meds 48:32 – Moving out and starting to rebuild 50:46 – Losing independence and the frustration of everyday life 54:10 – Blaze the white shepherd: “my saviour and guardian” 57:57 – His final words to Blaze 1:00:24 – Meeting Lucy on Bumble (and not mentioning he’s blind) 1:04:58 – How blindness affects their relationship day-to-day 1:07:04 – ACC, money and the system 1:08:04 – What he wants to do with his life now 1:12:34 – Para-cycling explained and 70km/h on the velodrome 1:14:53 – Trusting his pilot and building a team 1:17:15 – World Champs and the first time in the NZ skin suit 1:21:10 – What he’d say to his younger self 1:23:24 – Be your own medical advocate 1:24:04 – Crowded streets and invisible disability 1:27:26 – Why he finally started therapy 10+ years later 1:31:31 – What losing his sight actually gave him 1:33:52 – The tattoo spelling mistake story 1:36:15 – Is he proud of himself?