Croydon man proposes to ‘woman of his dreams’ after finding out he has terminal cancer
| Published date | 21 December 2020 |
| Date | 21 December 2020 |
| Publication title | MyLondon (England) |
He told her he'd just been diagnosed with bladder cancer.
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Nic introduced herself as Darren's new next-door neighbour and told him her father was a bladder cancer professor who could refer him to a specialist.
It was a beautiful chance encounter when " all I could see at the time was darkness and no way out," said Darren.
Since that fateful day in 2016, Darren, 53, from Croydon, and Nic have fallen deeply in love. When he decided to propose, he bought an eternity ring instead of an engagement ring for " the most incredible, selfless and loving person."
It has, however, been four years of ups and downs for the couple.
On the day that Darren had surgery for the initial bladder cancer, doctors found another tumour the size of a grapefruit on his kidney.
"It was like being hit by a truck," he said.
Darren was diagnosed with stage 3-4 kidney cancer, and in November 2016 he had his left kidney removed.
Four months later he was told he was cancer-free, and was able to resume his normal life.
But in September 2018, less than two years later, he started getting backache which continued to get worse until he went for a scan.
Darren is a keen runner and cyclist, having run marathons for cancer charities when he was well enough, s o initially doctors thought his backache was caused by compressed discs combined with getting older.
Instead the cause was more sinister.
" They found a tumour deep in my spine – in my sacrum,” he said.
“It was attached to a nerve root which explained the pain and the numbing I’d been feeling."
The radiotherapy Darren received seemed to stop the tumour, but he was unable to run any more.
He then started a course of immunotherapy, but after one course he had to halt the treatment as he was hospitalised with aseptic meningitis.
Darren said: " That was terrifying because I woke up blind. I had what is called photophobia, a rare side effect of the immunotherapy.
"Thankfully, it was only temporary."
The sad news continued for Darren, as in March he was told the cancer was incurable, and by August 2019 another three tumours had been found in his chest and lung.
Do you have a story you think we should tell Email rachael.davis@reachplc.com
His cancer initially stabilised, but by then...
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