A dad undergoing intense radiotherapy is putting himself to the test after devastating news.
Martin Tideswell was originally diagnosed with thyroid cancer back in 2009 and after an operation, remained "fit and well". But in 2020, during the covid lockdown, the 50-year-old began to feel unwell and felt a lump in his neck.
Fearing the cancer had returned, he fought for a face to face appointment and was eventually given some devastating news, the cancer had returned. But the dad-of-two was also told that he had in fact been treated for the wrong type of cancer back in 2009 and now the cancer he had, it was "incurable".
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Speaking to the ECHO, the dad, from Stoke-on-Trent, said: "I was told I had follicular cancer at first but I've actually got medullary cancer which is rare and is usually found in women. They realised they made a mistake but at that point, it was incurable.
"Since then, I've had four operations and on an intense course of radiotherapy to prevent it coming back to my neck. They gave me a full apology but it is what it is, you have to stay positive. There's loads more worse off than me."
Martin is now on an intense course of radiotherapy for just over six weeks, in which he travels to his mother-in-law's in Wirral every Sunday for a week of treatment at the Clatterbridge Hospital, before returning home for the following weekend.
Unsure on whether it will be successful, Martin hopes the treatment will prevent the cancer from returning to his neck before tests can be done to see if it has spread elsewhere. Remarkable, Martin, who works at Staffordshire University, is remaining positive throughout the gruelling journey.
He has challenged himself to walk one mile a day, no matter what, in the hopes of raising funds for the Clatterbridge Cancer Charity. He has so far raised almost £6,000 as he added: "One of the reasons I'm fundraising is because I want to raise awareness, people hear cancer and get scared but get checked out. Treatment has come on so much in the last 20 years.
"If I'd got it back in 1989 I'd be dead but treatment I've had means I'm still here and hopefully still will be in time to come. As scary as it may seem, it's better to get checked out. It may not be cancer but if it is, early diagnosis is key.
"Push to get a GP appointment, get checked out, time really is important and cancer isn't what it used to be. People can live for much longer now and even get cured."
The former editor said back in 2020 he had to "fight" to get a face to face appointment as he urged others to "push" on getting their symptoms checked. He said: "I eventually managed to get an appointment and within two weeks I was fast-tracked but it makes me think a lot of people wouldn't have done that and that's why we have got a surge in cancer cases."
Messages of support have come pouring in for Martin's fundraiser, which can be found here, as he says the support has been "incredible". He told the ECHO: "I'm so tired I can't do much at the minute, it sounds nothing but as my treatment goes on the more tiring it will be.
"I go to radiotherapy every day and the people you see, you just think if I can do something to help, even if the money I raise buys the Christmas tree and it cheers people up. Everyone has been incredible.
"I've had thousands of messages, 200 people have supported my sponsored walk and so many offering to see me and give me lifts to Wirral and back. One friend who was in the arms walks with me every day, even though he's not with me, he starts at the same time as me and does the mile, it's amazing."
He is now urging other people to know the signs and know their bodies. He added: "I'm really tired now, I've got a sore throat, I can't swallow so I'm on a liquid diet pretty much.
"I can't eat much and I'm struggling to sleep but I've got three weeks left, I finish treatment on December 23 so God knows what state I'll be in then."
His fundraising page reads: "The radiotherapy - which starts on November 9 and takes place at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool - will eventually make me feel proper rough and make Christmas a bit rubbish. I’ll be on a liquid diet and pretty feeble.
"So I thought I’d give myself a bit of motivation by pledging to walk a mile a day - no matter what - for the 6.5 weeks of my treatment through until December 23. A mile a day might not seem a lot, but as I approach the end of my treatment it’ll be tough. You can help me stay focused for 33 days."
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