‘All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.’ - J.R.R Tolkien

In October 2021 I was diagnosed with Small Cell Lung Cancer. After a long fight over 3 years, a few months ago I was informed it had spread and that I now only have 7-11 months left to live. My original decision for what to do with that time was to spend it making memories with the people who matter most to me: my family.

However, our circumstances have since changed: we have now been informed that the chemotherapy has not worked, and that nothing more can be done. I am now on the waiting list to go into palliative care at the Nightingale Macmillan Unit, whilst spending my remaining weeks I have left at home with my family.

Now what I wish for is to be able to support my kids, and make sure that this won’t be harder for them than it already will be.

Any donations will be going towards funeral costs, as well as any other expenses that may arise during those most difficult weeks.

I understand that not everyone can donate, so all that I ask is that you like and share this so more people can see it. Any support is very much appreciated, and it would mean the world to me to be able to support my kids. Thank you for reading this far and if you’re interested in the details of my journey you can find that below!

————————— THE STORY SO FAR —————————

In October 2021 I worked as a Maintenance Engineer’s Assistant at East Midlands Airport. It was my job to keep the conveyor belts of the warehouse unblocked and moving; a very physically intensive job that required a LOT of vertical climbing. Climbing I had never had a problem with. Climbing I had been doing for years. Climbing I had never injured myself doing.

Until one day I fell off a ladder down a 7 foot drop.

I was rushed to A&E where I got an X-Ray to confirm that I had fractured my pelvis in the fall… and that they had found something else on the scan.

An appointment was made and that’s where I first heard it’s name: Small Cell Lung Cancer. An aggressive form of lung cancer that spreads fast. Treatable but not curable. Inoperable. All the words no one ever wants to hear.

It all moved quickly after that: the treatment plan was Radical Concurrent Chemo-Radiotherapy. An intense 4 cycle regime of chemotherapy with Cisplatin and Etoposide, alongside Radiotherapy in 30 fractions twice a day, Monday to Friday for 3 weeks. Following that, Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation: radiotherapy on the brain to prevent the formation of a brain tumour.

To say that it was hell would be an understatement. But it’s not the treatments themselves that are the worst: it’s the lasting side effects.

For the chemo that included:

Neuropathy. This resulted in extreme cramping in my hands and feet that are incredibly painful of which, 3 years on, I am still struggling with

Ulcerative Collitis

Hiatus Hernia

Anemia

Severe Dehydration

A blood clot on my liver resulting in me having to be on blood thinners for the rest of my life

For the radiotherapy and cranial irradiation that included:

Sickness and nausea like I had never had before

Blurred Vision

Decline in cognitive function

Decline in lung function and breathlessness

Seeing all of these listed may not seem like much to someone who has never experienced them, but the reality is harsh. The after effects of cancer treatment wreak havoc with your ability to just do things, which, as someone who has always been very active and busy, was the most frustrating thing to experience and still regularly is.

But I got through it. And, very slowly, I got a bit better at handling it. I gradually managed to gain back some of my ability to get about. And we finally had some good news:

The treatment had worked. The tumours had shrunk. The inoperable became operable. Something I had been told was extremely rare in the case of SCLC.

Over a year later, in November 2022, I underwent a right thoracotomy, upper right lobectomy and partial resection of my Superior Vena Cava (SVC). That is essentially removal of half of my lung and part of a major vein. During this, they found not one, not two, but THREE different types of cancer within my lung upon removal.

But this surgery was also not without it’s complications. Due to the complicated nature of removing part of the SVC combined with an allergic reaction to blood thinners, I ended up heavily swollen and bright purple due to my blood not being able to flow in my body correctly. If they were unable to get this under control with differing blood thinners then I would have ended up having to undergo open heart surgery to fix the problem. Luckily for me, a different blood thinner eventually managed to calm this down, but it was close. I was in the hospital for 3 weeks, which was then followed up by the same chemotherapy regime as before along with all of it’s lovely side effects yet again.

In November 2023 I underwent another PET scan to assess the situation. A new growth was found in my lung, however this was in a spot in which they could not easily biopsy. Enter: surgery number two.

This surgery aimed to get a biopsy and if needed, remove the tumour as well as reconstruction of my SVC and chest wall. This involved rebreaking my ribs to access the lung, in which we thankfully discovered that they were benign.

All of this really took a toll on my body. I had gone from one of the most active people, to someone who struggled to get up and about. I had to use a wheelchair for a while to get around following the surgeries, and even managed to accidentally re-break a rib simply shopping.

But again, I persevered, and managed to get back to a better place. I had gotten a lot of my fitness back, not anything near where I used to be, but a lot better. I got back to going for mile long walks and even took up dancing!

In September 2024, I was admitted to the hospital for a minor feeling of illness, in which I had another CT scan, in which I already had every 3 months. I was informed that in that time, the cancer had returned in my lung, but had also spread to my liver and spine. I was also given the life expectancy of 7-11 months. The treatment this time was to be the same chemotherapy as before, with the addition of immunotherapy.

Unfortunately, the immunotherapy was then cancelled due to the development of hepatitis (enlargement of the liver). Having now finished this round of chemotherapy, we have now been informed that the chemotherapy has not worked, that the cancer is still spreading, and that nothing more can be done.

All I hope is that I get to enjoy what time I have left, with the people I love, however long that may be. Thank you for reading this far, and thank you to everyone for all of the love and support over the past few years!