My cancer has returned but I'm determined to marry my partner and make memories

Father-of-one Damian Kilshaw, 34, was finally diagnosed with the rare cancer, Chordoma, in the summer after an agonsing two-and-a-half year wait and underwent an operation to remove the tumour, which appeared to be a success.

But the disease, a type of spinal cancer, has returned and is now in his bloodstream, with more tumours.

Despite this major setback Damian, who lives in Darwen and has family on the Fylde coast, is determined to make the most of things and is planning to marry partner Jessica.

He is also due to start on a new trial drug to combat the disease, with which only only one in 1,000,000 people are diagnised each year.

It is notoriously hard to diagnose and is slow-growing - but Damian’s has proved unpredictably aggressive.

The couple have a 14 month old daughter.

However, because Damian is too ill to work, his sister Sarah Erica, 29, who lives in St Annes, has set up a fundraising page and wants to raise awareness of this rare cancer.

He even worked through the agony for as long as he could, trying to provide for his family by working at a busy kitchen manufacturing department.

Damien said: “I knew something was wrong because of how intense the pain was - I’ve never had pain like it.

“It takes a lot for me to go to the GP but I knew there was something going on.”

Despite this, it took Damian so long to get his illness diagnosed, with a series of health professionals unable to detect the mass on his lower spine, that he is urging others not to be put off if they feel something isn’t right.

He said: “If anyone feels like there is something wrong and showing unusual signs they’ve never noticed before -be persistent and don’t take no for an answer.” Damian visited two GPs, was attended by nurses and physiotherapists, all in vain, and he was prescribed painkillers, before one of the doctors arranged for an MRI scan.

But he collapsed in agony at home in March this year before he coul attend the session and was taken to hospital.

A series of tests eventually revealed the Chordoma and he underwent surgery at the specialist Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham.

He said: “The surgery was an en bock resction of the chordoma which involved removing the tumour in one piece and also removing any nerves or parts of the bone that were compromised by the chordoma.

“The operation was a success - but unfortunately with chordoma, there is a high risk it will reoccur.

“That’s what happened in my case and they found 11 lesions and the chordoma has entererd my blood stream.

“My consultant didn’t use the word terminal but he did say my cancer is incurable and this will lead to a shorter life.

“They can’t give me a timeframe, though, because of the way mine is behaving.”

Damian has undergone radiotherapy and added: “Since then I’ve met my new oncologist and it’s in the planning stages to trial a new drug to see if it can have an effect on my tumours to keep them at bay and prevent further growth for the time being.”

He is determined to walk Jessica down the aisle and said: “We are getting married and it’s in the planning stages - I want to make wonderful memories for our family.”

His younger sister, Sarah, said: “Damian has been diagnosed with one of the rarest types of cancers out there, Chordoma.

“His friends and family would say he has a heart of gold and would do anything for anyone.

“He’s one of the most loyal people I know and always puts other people first. He tends to push his own needs to one side to make sure everyone else is okay, even now with the diagnosis, he is more concerned with making sure everyone else is alright.

“I just wanted to help and setting up this fundraising page is the best way I thought I could do it.

“Amamzingly it has already raised more than £500 and I want to thank everyone who has contributed.”    

Damian added: "It's amazing what Sarah is doing to help us make memories and raise awareness of this illness."

To support the fund, visit https://gofund.me/012ae5f8