A former head boy at Hautlieu who went on to inspire millions as a best-selling science author after being diagnosed with a brain tumour in his 20s is the subject of a newly released podcast episode recorded just months before his death.
Dr Stuart Farrimond, also known as “Dr Stu”, died peacefully in his sleep earlier this summer at the age of 43 at a hospice in the UK surrounded by friends and family after battling a long illness.
The best-selling science author moved to Jersey with his family from Wiltshire and was head boy at Hautlieu in 1999, when the Farrimonds spent six years in the island.
In an interview recorded in February for a podcast series called How Do We Manage?, Dr Farrimond spoke about life with a life-limiting illness, the impact of palliative care, and what motivated him to keep going.
The episode, released today with the support of his wife Grace, aims to continue his legacy and raise awareness of serious illness and end-of-life care.
When asked by intervieweer Stephanie von Bismarck about how listeners can support those with health conditions and life-limiting diagnosis, Dr Farrimond said that it’s important to check in on carers, friends and family as well as they are the ones struggling.
He added that rather than asking people with illnesses how their condition is going, they should be asked how they are doing.
“It’s about seeing them as a person not as their condition,” he said.
In the podcast episode, Dr Farrimond reflected on the brain tumour he lived with for almost two decades, which was first discovered at the age of 25 during treatment for an eating disorder when working as a hospital doctor.
Not wanting to “accept his fate”, he said he overcame the depression that followed his diagnosis and moved into science communication, saying that “what came out of the [diagnosis] was a life he was much happier with”.
Dr Farrimond’s mission was to make science accessible for all, through regular appearances on BBC science programmes, speaking at events, and writing the internationally successful The Science Of series, which has sold more than a million copies.
Brain Tumour Research described Dr Farrimond as someone who “never stopped healing, educating and inspiring others”.
He leaves behind a legacy as a science and medical writer, presenter and educator with his family saying this would live on in his blog and best-selling book series.
The episode of How Do We Manage? is available from today on all podcast platforms.