A CrossFit-obsessed teen got headaches at the gym. He had brain cancer but is now stronger than ever.

• CrossFit fanatic Rob Bichan was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor at the age of 16.
• He underwent intense radiotherapy and gained 55 pounds due to steroids to control brain swelling.

In early 2020, CrossFit fanatic Rob Bichan was struggling with blinding headaches that affected his vision while training at the gym.

But Bichan, then aged 16, wasn't having normal headaches — they were the first symptoms of an inoperable brain tumor.

Bichan, from Scotland, UK, was diagnosed with a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma brain tumor and told he only had two years to live.

Other symptoms of a DIPG include problems controlling facial expressions, with speech, swallowing, walking, and weakness in the arms and legs. DIPG occurs mostly in children aged five to nine, but children of all ages are at risk, according to The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Now 19, Bichan has come through a grueling treatment regime and is rebuilding his strength and fitness working with Battle Cancer, a charity that helps people safely get active again after cancer treatments and raises money through fitness events.

Bichan gained 55 pounds from steroids to control brain swelling

Bichan had always been into fitness and started CrossFit at the age of 12. He was in his penultimate year of school when he was diagnosed with brain cancer.

He underwent a six-week course of radiotherapy — which involved five four-hour round trips to the hospital a week — to try and stop the tumor spreading, and also was put on steroids to control the swelling on his brain.

Bichan lost all feeling in his left side after the treatment and had to learn to walk again.

Bichan also suffered from chronic headaches, but he said the worst part of it all was the 55 pounds he gained in six weeks as a result of the steroids, alongside acne, and stretch marks. On his stomach, for example, the stretch marks were half an inch wide and were especially painful.

From being the fittest he'd ever been to living with cancer and not being able to exercise at all, Bichan's life had changed dramatically.

Bichan rebuilt his strength and fitness

Now, Bichan's tumor is stable and he has a scan every six months to check for any changes.

He has been easing back into CrossFit, which he started in his garage, and has also been working with Battle Cancer, which he said has provided support, guidance, and community.

"I've lived three years of extreme stress, worry and uncertainty, but also two of the best years of my life in that time," Bichan said in a press release. "I've been cursed but at the same time I've been blessed with a rare clarity and perspective on life, and sometimes I manage to come to a beautiful peace with it."

Bichan has lost 44 pounds and has also rebuilt his strength and fitness, recently achieving an all-time personal best of a 100 kilogram (220 pound) front squat.

"Physically I am in the best shape since my diagnosis," Bichan told Insider. "As for mentally, I am at peace with my condition and ready to do what I can for others in their life or illness."

Bichan is now partnering with Battle Cancer to raise awareness and funds, and is championing the charity's "Are you one of us" campaign, which aims to celebrate and empower people who have been affected by cancer and reframe them as heroes, not victims.