A man from Wirral who was told three times that his bowel cancer would kill him has now been informed there is 'no cancer visible' after scans.
Danny de Brabander, 41, from Wirral, and his partner Jane, were told three times by doctors that his bowel cancer would kill him. After surviving two diagnoses, both of which gave him a short time left to live, Danny was once again told in April that the cancer had returned and that he had 'about two years' left to live.
However, recent scans have shown that the intense regiment of chemotherapy and other treatments that Danny has been through have been successful. He was told that there was 'no cancer visible' in his body on Monday, May 9.
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Danny has been in this situation before, and though he's positive for the latest report of 'no cancer visible', he said he isn't going to take his victory lap just yet. He was previously told he was cancer-free two years after after his first diagnosis in 2019 - that 'all clear' was proven wrong when the cancer returned in April.
Even so, he remains fundamentally positive and will not let the uncertainty that surrounds his future darken his day. Danny, who still holds a full time job despite going through multiple seasons of chemotherapy, spends the remainder of his time with Team DDB, a fundraising group first set up by his close friends to raise money for him during the initial stage of his treatment back in 2019.
The team have now raised over £85,000 for multiple charities and people in need throughout Merseyside. He previously told the ECHO that their work, such as their charity raffle that raised £6,000 for a Wirral foodbank, helps him to appreciate his situation and gives him "a little justification" for what is happening to him.
Danny spoke to the ECHO about the latest good news. He said: "It's been a rollercoaster.
"From when I went in and spoke to the oncologist they had to look at the results three or four times because the results weren't expected. The results have been quite remarkable really, so I'm just running with that for the moment, seeing how it goes
"I keep getting written off and then I get good news so it's been up and down to say the least, but I'm really enjoying this news and living for the next three months. It's not exactly all clear, but what it is showing that there's no cancer visible in scans.
"I still have to tread cautiously. And I'm still on chemotherapy for another 6 cycles.
"Being stage four you're never fully clear, but at this point it is showing that there is no evident disease and my blood counts which they use to measure cancer are in normal range so it's looking really positive at the moment.
"I've still got to keep having treatment. Hopefully it'll hold it at bay and keep it at bay for as long as possible.
"Everyone's been really overwhelmed by it, so happy. Again, everyone's treading cautiously but my partner Jane's over the moon, so are my mum and dad and my brother and everyone who's been following my journey with Team DDB."
Team DDB was first set up by Danny's close friends Ben Douglas, Ben Lavell and Will Davenport. They recently put on a charity football match at Heswall football club, with local footballing legends and other celebrities, such as the competitive eater BeardMeetsFood, who Danny said was 'surprisingly slender' given his profession.
This weekend Team DDB are sponsoring a boxing event at Birkenhead Youth Club, showcasing the talents of the young boxers in Birkenhead which he encourages people to attend. He said that one of the reasons he wanted to do something with the youth club is for its 'amazing work' with the kids of Birkenhead, a deprived area compared to many parts of Wirral.
You can follow the work of Danny and Team DDB, and find more information about their upcoming events including the Birkenhead youth club boxing showcase on Facebook.
Danny also encourages everyone to find out more about bowel cancer and the symptoms of the disease. You can find out more here.
