Ayrshire Dad fight for more time after terminal cancer diagnosis
John Robertson was told he only has nine months left to live
Last updated 1 day ago
A man from Ayr's telling us he'll fight for more time with his wife and three children - after his struggle to swallow food led to a terminal cancer diagnosis.
35 year old John Robertson first started having trouble swallowing food in February this year.
"I was struggling to swallow anything," he told Clyde 1 news. "Even a drink of water couldn't flush it down...I thought it was going to pass, so I kept putting it off, until it got to the beginning of May. I was getting severe crushing pain in my chest."
After insistence from his wife, Nicole, he finally sought the advice of a GP. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 oesophageal adenocarcinoma last month, which has spread to multiple parts of his body including his liver.
John said: "It's a human necessity, you need to eat food, it's just what people do...to then have that taken away from you, it just changes your outlook on everything."
Formerly a glazier in Ayr, John says it's been an incredibly stressful time for him and Nicole, as well as their three children, Jorja, 15, Paris-Cole, 8, and Clay-Ty, 4.
"Every day's a battle. As much as every medical professional will say you need to keep stress-free and you need to take the time to make time for your family and make memories, it's difficult, because this is a full-time job that completely takes over your life. It changes your life."
"Nine months...I don't accept that's when my hourglass stops running"
John has now started fundraising to pay for private medical treatments and trials not currently offered on the NHS. He is waiting to hear back if he has been accepted for trials in Germany and London.
John said: "My main goal isn't to be here in nine months, it's to be here a lot longer. Nine months is what I was recommend from the NHS in Scotland on chemotherapy. I don't accept that. I don't accept that that's when my hourglass stops running."
You can donate to John's fundraiser here.