Thornton man who fought back from brink of death FOUR TIMES after brain tumour diagnosis wants to inspire others to keep fighting

Nathan Cummings, 24, said the unconditional love of his parents, grandparents, brother and sisters gave him the willpower to carry on through what he described as 'a year of hell'.

He said: "Keep going. Don't give up.

"My family have looked after me, they have come to see me in hospital, they have done all sorts for me. Whenever I had a turn, they have always been there."

In 2019, Nathan, a former Blackpool and The Fylde College student, was fit and healthy and working full time at Express Linen Services in Blackpool. But his health took a sudden, drastic turn for the worse and in just four weeks he lost more than a stone in weight and was unable to get out of bed.

At first doctors thought he was suffering from a virus, but further tests revealed a malignant tumour had been festering for years inside his brain - and was already in its most advanced, grade 4 stage.

"At first I didn't even know," Nathan, who lives on Seabrook Drive, said. "I just woke up one day and I couldn't get out of bed. I had a pounding headache, I was constantly vomiting no matter what I drank, and when I got up I just collapsed straight into a dressing table."

Nathan had two operations to remove most of the tumour at Royal Preston Hospital in October and November 2019. One month later, he was struck down with meningitis.

During 2020 he battled sepsis twice in between rounds of intense radiotherapy and chemotherapy at the Christie in Manchester, and both times his family - mum Anna, stepdad Adrian, brother Colin, sisters Danielle, Gemma and Shannon and grandparents Anne and Bob - were warned that he may not survive.

Shortly after Christmas he came down with meningitis for a second time, and while undergoing treatment at Blackpool Vic he was diagnosed with coronavirus.

"It's been rubbish, to be honest," he said. "I'm catching everything and getting ill constantly. I have days where I don't feel great and it starts my mind racing. I want to get over it and I want to get on with my life."

His mum Anna, 41, of Moonstone Crescent, said: "I wasn't able to visit him because I had Covid myself. The only communication I had was by phone, the doctors rang me through the night. They let me Facetime him to see if he responded to my voice. He managed to lift his head, which was the first response they had from him.

"Over five days we were being told that he might not make it. Then one day the nurse went in and found him sat up in bed, talking."

Nathan has now penned an open letter encouraging other cancer patients not to give up hope as he continues his fight for survival and faces fresh challenges.

Diagnosed with severe cataracts two months ago, he knows it is only a matter of time before he loses his eyesight completely.

Nathan is currently staying at The Arc residential care service on Clifton Avenue, Blackpool.

Anna said: "We're not sure what lies ahead. They have stopped chemo because he's too fragile at the moment. We're just taking it day by day.

"Nathan has got a very positive outlook on life. He won't let it get him down. If anything, he asks me how I'm doing.

"We have had two years of constant battles and it doesn't seem to end. We haven't even had our Christmas dinner. All his Christmas presents are unopened.

"This month was the worst I've ever seen him. I'd never seen him stop walking or talking. He had so many blood transfusions and antibiotics to keep him going. I'm very proud of him. I couldn't have done it.

"I've had my own battles and it has put a lot of stress on me but he keeps me going just by the way he is. He doesn't cry, he doesn't let it get him down. He breezes through each illness he has. I've got to be optimistic for him. Until they sit us down and tell us there's nothing more they can do, I'm going to keep fighting for his sake."

READ: Nathan's letter