I had cancer for five years with no symptoms – now it’s inoperable and I won’t get to see my son grow up

EVERY dad hopes they’ll always be there for their son no matter what – to see their first steps, to take them to the pub for the first time and to be with them on their wedding day.

But heartbroken Paul Hill, 36, may no longer be able to share these special milestones with his 19-month-old son George – after he was given the devastating news that he has stage 4 stomach cancer.

Jessica Hill

Paul was diagnosed with the disease just over a year after little George was born – with doctors believing he actually had the disease for five years knowing it.

And the cancer has progressed to such an extent it is now devastatingly too late to operate.

Paul is now bravely sharing his story to urge others to be vigilant for signs of the disease and to raise funds for potentially life-saving immunotherapy treatment in the US.

The father-of-one told i: “The moment George was born he was the most precious thing in the world to me.

“I vowed I’d always be there for him and, when I was diagnosed, I held on to that vow.

“I promised him I would beat it and be around to watch him grow up.”

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The engineer from Hull first realised something was wrong in May when he began having problems swallowing food and keeping it down.

At first, Paul brushed off the symptoms as nothing but a stomach bug.

However, when the vomiting continued for four weeks and he developed severe stomach pain he decided it was finally time he went to see his GP.

The GP told him it was acid reflux and nothing to worry about and sent him home with medication to ease the symptoms.

The moment George was born he was the most precious thing in the world to me. I vowed I’d always be there for him and, when I was diagnosed, I held on to that vow

Paul Hill

However, things only got worse and Paul soon returned to the doctors where they sent him for blood tests.

It was after he was diagnosed with anaemia that Paul was referred to a specialist – but the appointment wasn’t until August.

With Paul’s condition rapidly deteriorating and his body weight dropping, the couple decided to arrange to see a specialist privately instead.

Paul was given an urgent scan and endoscopy.

Jessica Hill

It was then that Paul was given the heartbreaking news that he had stage 4 gastric cancer.

Doctors told the new dad he had a large tumour in his stomach which had spread to his pancreas and lymph nodes.

And because the cluster of lymph nodes it had spread to were attached to his main blood vessel, the doctors couldn’t operate to remove the cancer.

His wife Jessica said: “Since that dreadful day my family and I have been living in what feels like a nightmare.

“On the day we were told about Paul’s condition we’ve cried, become angry, asked “why him?” but most importantly we’ve learnt to be grateful.

“Grateful for the time we have, grateful for the memories we have made and we have learned to respect that every moment is precious and should not be taken for granted.”

What made the news even more shocking was that doctors suspected Paul had gastric cancer for five years but, with no symptoms and given that he was too young to get tested for the disease, it went undiagnosed.

His diagnosis came all too late – as had the cancer been caught earlier, doctors may have been able to remove Paul’s stomach and stop it spreading.

Doctors instead told Paul all they could do was give him chemotherapy in the hope that it would shrink the cancer in his lymph nodes enough for them to be able to operate and remove the rest of it.

They also recommended immunotherapy as the best course of treatment.

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They put Paul on a five-year clinical trial in the UK, however it was a double blind trial which meant only 50 per cent of the patients would actually receive the genuine drugs while the other 50 per cent were given a placebo.

Paul has now started the trial but will have to wait five years to find out if he’s actually having real immunotherapy or not – which his family can’t bear.

Paul and his wife have now set up a fundraising page on JustGiving to raise the £100,000 needed for a year’s worth of private treatment.

All we can do now is focus on trying to raise awareness and enough money to help Paul get better and make sure George has his daddy

Jessica Hill

This is because while immunotherapy is available on the NHS for some types of cancer, it isn’t licensed for use with gastric cancer, so they will have to get a consultant to arrange for him to have it privately or go to the US.

They have already raised nearly £37,000 and have gained support from local stars including Hull boxer Tommy Coyle.

Jessica said: “It’s our only hope. We can’t give up and we won’t give up.”

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As part of his battle against the disease, Paul has made a list of promises to George, including being there to watch him start and leave school.

Jessica said: “My Paul has created a list of promises that his family and I will help him do everything in his power to achieve.

“Some of these promises include: raising awareness of gastric cancer; watching George start and leave school; growing old with me; taking George for his first legal pint on his 18th birthday; helping George move into his own house; becoming a grandad.”

Paul told ITV news: “I’ll promise to do everything I can to be there for George, to watch him grow up, take him to school, take him to football, take him to rugby matches.”

As Paul’s type of cancer is also hereditary, George will have to be tested for it when he turns 15 and may even have to have his stomach removed when he’s older as a preventative measure.

Jessica added: “All we can do now is focus on trying to raise awareness and enough money to help Paul get better and make sure George has his daddy.

“We are so thankful for everyone who has helped us so far.”

You can donate to Paul’s cause here.

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