A young woman has become her fiancé’s carer after his suspected ear infection turned out to be a sign of something altogether more terrifying.
Hollie Boswell’s serene family life was “shattered” after partner Kris Bennett’s horrifying diagnosis.
Instead of leisurely planning their wedding and future, the couple – who are parents to Toby, six, Riley, two and newborn Sienna – have been forced to rush to make their nuptials happen, with doctors giving the devastating prognosis of 12-18 months left for Kris.
Hollie, who discovered she was pregnant shortly after the diagnosis, has now become his full-time carer, while juggling parenting their children.
It came following what should have been a joy-filled spa break to celebrate her birthday, when Kris’ headaches worsened and Hollie worried he was having a stroke.
He was rushed to A&E, where a CT scan showed a 5cm mass in his brain – and the painter and decorator was diagnosed with incurable grade 4 astrocytoma.
“Our lives literally shattered from that point onwards,” Hollie, a nursery worker from Gravesend, Kent, told Need To Know.
Kris first began experiencing headaches while on a family holiday to Turkey in July 2025.
Back home, his GP initially thought an ear infection was to blame, and prescribed antibiotics, which didn’t help.
It wasn’t until a spa weekend the following month to celebrate Hollie’s birthday that he developed a sudden and excruciating headache, affecting his speech and balance.
Worried he may be having a stroke, Hollie rushed him to hospital, where the scan found the tumour on the left side of his brain.
She said: “Never in a million years did I expect to be told he had a brain tumour.
“I genuinely thought that they were going to tell us Kris had suffered a mild stroke.
“When the doctors told us, I remember grabbing hold of Kris and I felt completely numb.
“I couldn’t actually process what had just been said; it was like time stood still.
“And then I remember thinking ‘This can’t be happening to us, we already had two young children at home and so many plans for the future’.
“But from that moment everything changed and our lives revolved around hospital appointments, scans, surgery and treatment.
“The fear was overwhelming, and it still is.”
Kris was kept in hospital for further scans and tests, and given pain relief and steroids to reduce the swelling.
In September, he underwent an eight-hour surgery, which removed 80% of the tumour – with the remainder embedded within healthy brain tissue, and needing to be left to avoid causing life-changing damage.
The surgery was undertaken with Kris awake, and he remembers much of it – but not the moment he lost control of his speech, which alerted surgeons to stop removing tumour tissue from that area.
He was later told his prognosis was just 12-18 months.
Hollie said: “Nothing prepares you for hearing that the person you love and imagined you’d spend the rest of your life with has 12-18 months to live.
“It literally felt like our whole future had been ripped away from us.
“We had gone from planning so many exciting things for our future, to wondering how much time we had left together.”
Amidst the heartbreak, Hollie discovered she was expecting – and little Sienna was welcomed into the world in May 2026.
Throughout her pregnancy, Hollie has been Kris’ full-time carer, taking him to hospital appointments, for blood tests, scans and treatment.
Kris can also no longer work, as a result of the diagnosis and treatment, with him having had radiotherapy and now chemotherapy.
Hollie said: “Kris’ driving licence was taken away from him following his diagnosis, which has affected his independence.
“This is something Kris has struggled with hugely throughout the whole situation.”
The family has been exploring other treatment options, including an immunotherapy clinical
trial at one hospital, but were told Kris would not be eligible because he had already had surgery elsewhere.
Hollie said: “I had done some research and was reading really positive stories.
“To then be told Kris would have had to have had his surgery at their hospital to be eligible was deeply upsetting.
“I have also been told that he wouldn’t qualify for any trials because he is responding to treatment.
“It’s only when that stops working that he could be put forward for any trials.”
A family friend set up a GoFundMe page to help support the couple financially, as well as enable them to make key memories – including tying the knot.
They are due to get married in May 2027.
Hollie said: “More than anything I hope Kris is well enough to enjoy every moment of our day.
“Marrying Kris really does mean everything to me.
“We have been through more together than most couples ever have to face and being able to become husband and wife would be one of the most special memories we could ever make.
“It’s something that I have dreamed of for years, like most girls who want their special day to be perfect but now it means even more because we know how precious time really is.”
Hollie, who is working alongside The Brain Tumour Charity to raise awareness of the devastating impact brain tumours can have on families, added: “Watching Kris fight this cruel disease while trying to make memories with our children is absolutely heartbreaking.
“My biggest hope is that Kris can continue responding to treatment for as long as possible, while also keeping an eye on any clinical trials or new treatments that may become available to him in the future.
“If we were fortunate enough to raise the funds, we would love to explore treatment overseas.
“Countries such as America and Belgium are currently leading the way in areas like immunotherapy, which I have read some really encouraging stories about.
“We know that there are no guarantees with trials, but if there’s even the smallest chance that a treatment could give Kris more time, then we want to be able to explore every possible avenue.
“Having as much precious time together as a family means more than anything to us and we hope that sharing our story can raise more awareness of brain tumours and the urgent need for more research and funding.
“No family should hear that someone they love has such limited treatment options, so we hope that one day more families will have access to better treatments and more hope than we did when Kris was diagnosed and given just 12-18 months to live.
“Sometimes it feels as though cancer starts taking parts of your life away long before it actually takes your life, but Kris has been so strong throughout everything he’s been faced with – and that will always make me keep fighting alongside him.
“It has really put life into perspective – every day is so precious.”
