Campaign to help 36 year old Fylde coast dad after terminal cancer diagnosis

Dave Dickson, who is just 36, thought he had beaten the illness after a year of gruelling treatment and he began to hope for the future again.

But cruelly, the disease returned and doctors have now given him just months to live.

Dave, whose partner is Luchia Burrows, is dad to little David, six, Daniel,10, Oliver, 11 and Carlyanne, 12.

With time more precious than ever, a campaign has been launched to try and create some lasting memories for the children and their dad.

A GoFundMe page has been set up by a close pal with the aim of raising £5,000 for some family treats.

Dave is one of three brothers and has always been close to Paul, 38, and Andrew, 34, and they all live near their parents, Steve and Angela.

They moved to the Fylde coast from Manchester 15 years ago as a family.

Sammi Scales, Andrew’s partner, said: “The family are really close and they are all devastated.

"Dave has always been so strong and active and the sort of person that lots of people know and like.

"He’s the sort of person who keeps getting stopped in Blackpool town centre because so many people know him.

"Seeing him so frail is really tough for the family – he’s lost three-and-a-half stone in the last few weeks.

"We just want to make some good memories for those children.”

The popular builder, of Blackpool Road North, St Annes, first became unwell in the late summer of 2019 and at first it was thought he had appendicitis.

He was determined to join his pals on a holiday to Portugal in the September, despite not feeling fully recovered.

But Dave decided to have proper tests after the pain kept coming and going.

And just before Christmas that year he was given devastating news – he had bowel cancer and shockingly, doctors told him the cancer had been there for around five years.

Dave had the tumour removed and a stoma put in, followed by a year of chemotherapy.

Last year the disease was in remission and Dave thought he had beaten it.

However, at the end of the year he began to be troubled by stomach pains.

The cancer had returned and it has now spread to his kidneys and lungs.

Dave had planned to go on a big family holiday to Turkey in May this year with his brothers, their partners and children.

Doctors advised him to go while he was able to make it.

Upon returning home, his condition rapid deteriorated.

Dave, who is now staying his parents’ bungalow in St Annes, said: “At the rate it is growing, all they can offer me is palliative chemotherapy treatments.

“If my cancer reacts to the palliative treatments I could get 12 to18 months but unfortunately if my cancer doesn't react to the palliative treatments I'm only looking at three to six months.

"It’s hard to process things, it’s devastating for my family.”

Pal Wayne Wareing, who has set up the GoFundMe page, said: “Dave is a very good friend of mine and I just wanted to help him and his children.”

The funding page is at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/as24qw?member=