Dad-of-two given 12 months to live after going in for ‘routine’ operation
A DAD was told he had around a year left to live after going in for a routine operation.
Ricky Brown, aged 43, had been suffering with a hernia which was causing him pain.
The NHS wait for the operation he needed to correct it was 18 months, leading Ricky to pay for private treatment in November last year.
But after symptoms continued, he went on to find out that he had pancreatic cancer which had spread to his liver.
His close friend, Danny Pallet, is now trying to raise money to support Ricky along with his wife Nikki and their two sons Travis, 13, and Harley, 16, as they face the devastating diagnosis.
Danny, 37, told the
Herald that
Ricky is trying to remain positive amid his cancer battle.
Speaking about Ricky’s health struggles, he said: “We set a football team up a few years ago because we’ve played football together for ages. He came to training one day and he couldn’t play because he had a hernia in his groin.
“He was on a waiting list for an operation for that for 18 months. In the end, he paid to have it done privately because he couldn’t hack it anymore.
“He went to the hospital and had the operation but when he came back he didn’t go to the toilet for ten days and had a load of blood clots. He went back and in the end, they found out that it was pancreatic cancer that spread to his liver.”
Danny, who lives in Warton, near Tamworth, added: “Ricky went in for a routine surgery and then that’s it.
“We go on holiday together every year and were in Lanzarote at the end of August and he must have had the cancer then.” Ricky has begun chemotherapy treatment to treat the cancer which he has sadly been told is unsurvivable.
Danny said: “He is trying to be positive and he isn’t a negative person but he has had so many setbacks in life that it’s hard.
“He started chemo three weeks ago and his consultant told him that after a few weeks, he’d be able to go out for a walk and a pint. But it hasn’t seemed to be the case as he’s still in a lot of pain.
“The pain is his worst symptom, especially every time he eats.”
So far, a Gofundme page has raised over £10,500 to support Ricky and his family.
Danny is planning a charity football match later this year as well as a skydive in an effort to raise even more funds - despite being terrified of heights.
He described Ricky as “salt of the earth” and said he would do his best to make sure he was as comfortable as possible.
The fundraiser can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/ browny-and-nikki.