The father of a Derry man said that he "cried and cried" when he found out that his son was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Paul McDaid's son Paul, who also has autism, has been battling a frontal lobe tumour for the past two-and-half years, having already gone through surgery to partially remove some of it during the Covid pandemic.
Things were looking up for the 28-year-old Creggan man post-surgery but in May the family received more ominous news when an MRI scan from a Belfast hospital revealed that a new anomaly had formed.
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Chatting to MyDerry , Paul's father explained that due to his autism, he struggles with social interaction and doesn't like "causing a fuss" about his illness.
"Paul is a good young fella," said his father. "He is a very down-to-earth sort of boy and he is a victim of circumstances that are completely out of his control.
"Paul would've been diagnosed with the tumour in his brain after a period of counselling that he was receiving. He was going through a bit of a bad patch his moods were definitely starting to alter. His personality was beginning to slightly change but his family were unaware that he was suffering from this tumour.
"He went into Gransha Hospital for a while and that's when they discovered what was going on. It was heartbreaking having to see Paul going into the hospital but in hindsight, it was a good thing because they were able to detect this tumour in January 2021."
Paul began radiotherapy treatment in Belfast straight away with the family having to travel up and down to Belfast every day before he was sent for by surgeons at Royal Victoria Hospital in May 2021.
"He had responded to the treatment quite well," Paul continued. "When he went through with the operation they were delighted with how it went and I hoped that they got it all and that would be the end of it and that Paul would be able to start his remission.
"Paul didn't mind the surgery either. It's all of the other stuff that Paul doesn't like. He doesn't like the fuss because he really struggles with social interaction with people and he can't comprehend certain things.
"But things were going well and over the last year, Paul's had to go for three MRIs just to check that nothing had returned but that's when they found a new structure. A new anomaly as they called it and they want to start him back on radiotherapy as quick as they can."
Heartbreakingly, Paul said that when his son found out that a new tumour had emerged in his brain, he told his dad that funding for his treatment could "go elsewhere".
"He told me that he didn't think that he would go through with this new treatment because, as I already said, he doesn't like causing a fuss. He told me that he was prepared to die.
"I just cried and cried when I found out that Paul had been diagnosed again. My heart goes out to my son because I just want him to live a happy and healthy life.
"I told him to go and have a think about it and nothing had to be decided then and there. He came back to me the next day and said that he wasn't ready to die yet and that he would give the surgery another go.
"We have to go up to Belfast now every day for the next six weeks and they're making a mask for him at the [Belfast] City Hospital so that he can undergo the treatment. It's going to be intense for him but he knows what's ahead of him and his family will be there to support him through it.
"We can't believe all the support that we're getting from the public so far, it has really given Paul a lift ahead of this next part of his journey."
A GoFundMe page has been established to help Paul's family with the financial burden of travelling to Belfast. If you would like to donate, you can do so HERE.
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