Tumour diagnosis like 'being hit by a bus' for Cambridgeshire firefighter
Paul Whitaker's aiming to raise at least £140,000 for a vaccine
A Cambridgeshire firefighter said being diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour was like "being hit by a bus".
In April last year, Paul Whitaker was told he has grade three astrocytoma, and has since undergone the likes of radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment.
“When I heard the words, you have a brain tumour, it shattered everything we knew," Paul said.
"The prognosis is devastating, with an average survival of just a few years.
"When we got it (the news), it was like being hit by a bus, the worst possible scenario you could ever think of, but the support we're getting locally is fantastic."
Paul - who started with Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service in 2008 - began to feel light-headed around two years ago, before his condition changed.
In the last 18 months, he has undergone chemotherapy - that he has recently completed - daily radiotherapy and an awake craniotomy, which involves temporarily removing part of the skull so the brain can be operated on.
Paul, a father-of-two, is aiming to raise at least £140,000 to fund ADCV, a personalised vaccine that helps the immune system recognise and attack tumour cells.
A clinical trial found this treatment to more than double the five-year survival rate for patients with grade four glioblastoma, from 5.7% to 13%.
So far, more than £30,000 has been raised and Paul hopes a vaccine like this can make a difference to his and his family's life.
"It means massive amounts to us because it gives us a chance for more time together; I've got my young kids and to see them grow up and start their own families would be priceless," he added.
"Through all the hospital visits and difficult days, we’ve done everything we can to keep life joyful for our boys.
"They still deserve laughter, bedtime stories, and care free days, even when their parents are quietly holding back tears.
"We need to raise awareness of brain tumours because we didn't know anything about them and it is a shock when someone says 'you've got a brain tumour'."