MY Dad... Everyones Hero ❤️

Hi,Firstly whether you know my family or my dad... I ask this is kept quiet... A secret.... I will explain later on. My Dad.For those who know him Mitchell, Mitch, Mick, Dad, Grandad, Son, Brother, Uncle, Baywatch-Mitch!! Born 1961, Married to Mum for almost 34 years. (I doubt she would argue that this needs a medal!) Son to my awesome grandparents and the best father and grandfather his daughters could wish for, he even raises my nephew who's now 10. A current FA Coach to kids in the evenings and weekends, An ex policeman, private detective, milkman, residential social worker, pot washer, DJ, my dads done it all. Why? To make sure his family wanted for nothing. He brought us up with strong morals, dedication and a good work ethic. He's taught us right from wrong, left from right and most importantly the importance of family. He's a grafter. Not one day off sick, family and his children having everything they needed always at the forefront of his mind. He would go without so we could fit in at school. He's the most unselfish, caring, giving bloke who everyone he knows loves.In May this year all our lives were ripped into shreds, the ignorance that he was going to be here for many more years taken away. A cruel, evil, painful, unpredictable, incurable diagnosis of multiple myeloma was given (cancer of the bone marrow). That day all our worlds ground to an abrupt halt. After months of pain, they found 2 large growths one in his ribs one in his chest and part of his spine has compressed. (Basically collapsed) he has what they call lesions all over his body in all his bones making it highly likely he's going to suffer fractures and his spine compressing even more potentially ending up in a wheelchair. He's having cycles of chemotherapy, drips to make his bones stronger, steroids, anti sickness, pain killers, Thalidomide (which most people will recall it being banned some years ago). Yet my dad is still going to work every single day. Out the house 0530 back normally 1130 followed normally by some kind of treatment, appointment or if he's lucky some sleep, then back to work till 7pm every night 5 days a week. He gets no sick pay or holiday pay. To get someone to cover him is financially impossible. Yesterday he was finally given a massive one off dose of radiotherapy to try and shrink the growths so he's not in so much pain plus his normal chemo and he still made it to work! He should be at home recuperating but he's determined to keep things normal, to be there for his customers and keep them smiling. My Dad the practical joker, never afraid get up on a stage and play a silly game, act drunk, dance, or come to a party in fancy dress (and believe me he's had some pretty funny ones.... I think the off-licence thought they were being done over when he went in for milk dressed as uncle fester!!) as long as it makes one of us happy he will do it and I'm sure everyone who knows him will agree. For now, chemo has reduced the myeloma cells in his blood. Unfortunately they will never go totally meaning it will come back, more aggressive and worse than before. When? It could be weeks, months at the best a couple of years. Dad is focussing on each day as it happens, he doesn't want to know what treatment is next or how it will effect him. He's staying positive for us, my mum, and all the grandkids and his parents.He's more worried about us than him but that's my dad, totally unselfish. So dad is now half way through his chemo, he's had his one chance at radiotherapy and in the next few months he should be well enough for a stem cell transplant which in itself is risky. He's going to be hooked up to a machine and blood taken from one place and pumped back in another, removing a certain amount of stem cells over a couple of days which they then harvest and he's sent home to prepare himself for them to be put back. Sounds easy right? This means killing off a lot of his healthy cells so they can put them back without his body rejecting them. His immunity to fighting any kind of infection is going to be very very low abs he's going to be in hospital for about 4 weeks. At this time it's looking like it could be over Christmas, meaning he's not going to see us all much which is heartbreaking. We all know how many coughs and colds kids get at school, we can't risk him catching anything at all. The consequences are severe and life threatening.If you've got this far, thank you. I've rewritten this several times now and I will never get across how amazing my dad is. At some point the harsh reality of what's going to happen is going to set in and his family need to keep him positive and he needs things to look forward to when hopefully he does go into remission for as long as possible.My dad's one regret that he's never done and may never do is a Caribbean cruise with my mum. So here I am, begging, pleading and asking for donations to make his dream come true. Nobody deserves it more. No matter how small the donation, every one will be so gratefully received by me and my family.I'm hoping to raise £6000 to pay someone to cover his business, cover, astronomical travel insurance and pay for them both to get a well earned break and finally rest after all this treatment before it comes back. He so needs something good to finally happen. So why the secret... Partly my mum and dads pride, and please if you see them do not say a word. The day he goes for his stem cell transplant we want to surprise him, keep him focused on the future. If anyone has messages for my dad, pictures, memories of all the silly stuff he's done, cards, poems, quotes, jokes (he loves jokes) please send them me as I want to give him a massive book he can look at whilst he's in hospital.Finally I just want to thank each and every person for reading our story and those who can make a donation no matter how small. For those who know him, continue to crack jokes, ask him how he is, and if he looks like he's having a bad day give him a smile, offer him a drink and try to be normal. But please don't tell him about this yet...

Amy (Some may say eldest daughter, I say the most intelligent!!!!!) X