Wigan dad's inspiring journey from brain tumour diagnosis to starting his own business

Finding out you have a brain tumour is a terrifying prospect for anyone.

And when that hammer blow was delivered to Paul Eatock, he was certainly concerned; but more than anything, his diagnosis was a “reality check” which reshaped his future, his health and his career goals.

The 43-year-old from Swinley was flying high in his role as a commercial fit-out specialist at Diamond Interiors when, in early 2019, he began experiencing loss of vision in one eye.

During a visit to the optician, he discovered he was as in fact colour-blind in the problem eye and was referred to an eye specialist at Wigan Health Centre.

It was there that doctors found something pressing on the optic nerve, and he was sent for an MRI test.

A week later, Paul was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour and was put on a six-month waiting list for surgery, which was carried out on August 1 2019.

It was a moment which caused Paul to take stock, and consider how he wanted his life to unfold. Particularly, he contemplated how he could improve his chances of recovery, and his own life for the sake of his two daughters after his surgery.

“I lost three stone in weight, coming up to my surgery, and I was running six miles a day, around work,” he said.

“I got myself really fit, running around Haigh Hall every day before work. One, for my wellbeing because, psychologically, it was pretty tough what I was going through. And the other side of it, is that I was always thinking beyond the surgery, to my recovery. I wanted to see what my eyesight was like afterwards, so that I could have a viewpoint as to what I’m like beforehand, something I could equate it to.

“After the surgery, I couldn’t drive for three months, so I walked between 100,000-120,000 steps a week.

“It was purely my eyesight which was affected, and not the other parts of my body. So I wanted to keep fit beforehand to give the surgeon the best chance, really.

“I had a positive mind-set, and only seen it as a little inconvenience, a bump in the road. My decision making was down to zero, I was in the hands of the surgeons and didn’t have any choices to make.”

Paul was discharged from hospital two days after his operation to begin his long recovery.

He said: “I couldn’t lift a paper bag for two months. I got the all clear after two months and went back top work after three months.

“I think it tells you a lot about my determination as a person. I don’t want to make any excuses, I just dust myself down and get on with it.”

The lengthy lay-off provided an opportunity for Paul to reflect on his career goals. The idea was sown that he would set up his own businesses and, earlier this year, finally took the plunge, founding Eatock Design and Build based in Deansgate, Manchester.

The firm operates across the UK servicing the office and commercial sector accommodating projects of all sizes including full reconfigurations to extensive refurbishments.

It designs, fits, refurbishes and builds Covid-secure and environmentally-friendly workspaces, retail fit-outs and commercial property developments, responding to increasing demand from clients seeking to adapt their offices to welcome back staff who have been working from home since lockdown.

Within weeks of setting up the firm, Paul has been appointed by 19 new clients including online retailer, I Saw It First, which is looking to redesign its reception area at its head office in the Northern Quarter.

He said: “I was working in the sector but became available, and then took the opportunity to set up my own business in what was quite a challenging climate, in that not many people are working in offices at the moment.

“There’s never a good time to set up, and I’ve always been confident about things, so that’s how I came at it.

“It’s something I’d wanted to do for a long time but never had the finances behind me.

“It’s not about just me. I like being reciprocal and helping other people. What goes around comes around, I’m a great believer in that.”

“I’ve had a lot of people believe in me and back me. You need that with any new business, and never more so than now.”

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