Dave Paxton, a 38-year-old father-of-one from Burton-on-Trent in Staffordshire, was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bowel cancer — with only 22 other cases documented worldwide.
Dave only learned he had cancer — a grade-four squamous cell tumour of the duodenum, which develops in the lining of the small intestine — after a pharmacist asked him a routine question while he was ordering his medication for anxiety. Namely, the pharmacist asked Dave if he had any other health concerns, to what Dave answered that he had noticed his stool had dark color. Dave hadn’t planned to discuss this, but his seemingly slight concern led him to book a GP appointment just four days later.
Doctors conducted tests and an endoscopy, which revealed the rare form of cancer.
Since the devastating diagnosis, the cancer spread to Dave’s liver causing excessive bleeding that requires he undergoes blood transfusion every four days.
At the time being, he’s undergoing chemo treatments and radiotherapy to prevent the cancer from spreading further.
“This is terrifying and the treatment side effects are horrendous, but I’m very grateful to the pharmacist for checking in with me. I had noticed but wasn’t thinking much of it,” Dave told Yorkshire Live.
“The diagnosis was such a shock.
“All I could think about was my son, I just burst into tears. But I also knew I had to get on with it. The cancer is so rare they just can’t say how long I have, only that they are treating me to prolong my life.”
Dave’s twin brother, Mark, has launched a GoFundMe page in an attempt to raise funds in order for Dave to receive a potential lifesaving immunotherapy treatment.
“The only option giving us hope right now is the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumad as this has been proven to work on this cancer in other locations, and in some circumstances full results, but tragically, David’s insurance will not cover the cost of the drugs because it has not been proven in this extremely rare location. We’re now fighting not just the cancer, but the clock. These drugs are his best chance at more time with his 9 year old son Stanley, and with all of us,” the fundraising page states.
Dave said doctors are unaware how he got that type of cancer at such young age, calling it a “bad luck.”
However, he hopes that if he receives the 24 sessions of immunotherapy, he would be “in remission and looking towards Christmas and a new start.”
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