Dan's final chance to fight brain cancer

Hi, my name is Dan, and I’m a four-time cancer survivor.

I’ve been battling cancer for 14 years, and with each fight, I’ve come closer to running out of options. I’m a father to a 2-year-old boy, and my biggest wish is to live long enough to watch him grow up.

Right now, I need your help to make that possible.

Here is my story:

Whilst at University in 2011 I had chronic headaches. I was being sick, losing my balance and hiding in dark rooms and under duvets to alleviate the constant pounding in my head. I went to my local GPs and saw three different doctors. The first diagnosed an imbalance in my ears and prescribed travel sickness tablets, the second diagnosed a trapped nerve and sent me for acupuncture and then the third thought I was making it all up and prescribed me anti-depressants (I did not touch these).

None of them took my symptoms seriously until I received a free eye test voucher in the post. Ever the cheapskate, I decided to go, and that decision saved my life.

The optician noticed a swelling of my optic nerve and did an emergency referral to my local A&E. On arrival I was seen by a doctor who was ready to discharge me as they couldn’t see anything wrong. Thankfully, a supervisor stepped in and recommended a scan at the very least.

After an MRI, I learned I had a brain tumour the size of a golf ball which later turned out to be a benign (grade II) tumour. I was rushed to a specialist hospital, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where emergency surgery was scheduled for the very next day. The surgery was successful, but it was just the beginning of a long and difficult journey. I spent six weeks in the hospital where I had to learn to walk, talk and think again.

I wasn’t able to live an independent life for a while and lost some functionality permanently in one ear and one hand, but I was determined to finish my final year at University which I did. Thanks to the help of a Dictaphone and newfound glasses.

(My first scar - now one of many)

(My first outing after coming off the dexamethesone (steroid). The swelling and the weight gain made me very self conscious)

(graduation day. My face is still swollen)

The tumour(s) return

Three years later, the tumour returned but this time it was cancer (grade III). I underwent surgery and targeted radiotherapy at the Queen Elizabeth again (by my amazing surgeon Mr Vladimir Petrik), and doctors diagnosed me with a rare type of brain tumour called an Ependymoma, which mostly affects children. The radiotherapy was tough. Being strapped to a machine with a fitted mask over my head led to panic attacks for the first time in my life.

Despite the setback, I kept pushing forward. I enjoyed life, travelled, and spent time with friends and family.

But in 2018, another brain tumour appeared. This time it was in a different location, near the area of my brain that controls emotions. After successful surgery with my amazing neurosurgeon, I moved to London, where I continued my treatment and had further radiotherapy at the Royal Marsden Hospital.

(my new normal)

Radiotherapy became a regular part of my life, and I also adopted a dog, Bella, to keep me company during my treatments.

In 2021, I married my childhood sweetheart and the love of my life, Sonia, who has stood by me through everything.

In 2022, I became a father to the most beautiful little boy, Elijah. For a while, everything was perfect. I was cancer free and life felt pretty amazing.

Frustratingly, the cancer had other ideas. In late 2024, I was diagnosed with both a brain tumour and a spinal tumour. I was distraught when I heard the news. I really thought I was done with it all. Thankfully, once again, my neurosurgeon, performed the surgery and removed the tumour.

However, the news that the tumour had spread to the spine, made everything more complicated. It means the tumours are now in my cerebral spinal fluid and travelling around and could lead to many more tumours. It also meant that medical teams across the UK could not decide on the best course of treatment for me and none of the medical data was applicable to me.

After seeking opinions from top hospitals in the U.S., including Massachusetts General and Stanford, I’ve been advised that the next step is full brain and spina radiation (craniospinal radiation) which will leave me 3 times more likely to die of a stroke or a heart attack and take me 4 – 6 months to recover from.

With few options, I’m now undergoing six weeks of radiation to my whole brain and spine at the Royal Marsden, but this is my last treatment option in the UK.

If the cancer returns, I will have no further options for radiation, and the only treatment left is chemotherapy — which is effective in very few cases. There are no trials available to me in the UK or any other treatment. The NHS has told me there may be nothing more they can do.

The next step

But there is hope. MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, is known for its cutting-edge treatments and for never giving up on patients, even when all other options have been exhausted.

Their expertise could give me a chance to extend my life — a chance to see my son grow up and experience all the milestones I long for. But the treatments there come with a significant cost.

I’m reaching out to you because I need your help. After I complete my current treatment at the Royal Marsden, I hope to travel to MD Anderson for further evaluation and potential treatment. The funds

I’m raising will cover travel, consultations, and the specialised treatment I need to keep fighting. Please help me find a cure before it's too late.

Why am I asking for your help?

I’m 33 years old, and I’m not ready to give up.

My son deserves to have his father by his side, and Sonia deserves a future with the man she married. With your support, I can keep fighting and work toward more time with my family.

Every donation, no matter how small, brings me one step closer to that future.

Thank you for helping me hold on to the most important moments in life.