Wakefield dad-to-be given devastating cancer diagnosis as friends, family and colleagues help raise over £50,000
A Wakefield dad-to-be has said that the thought of seeing his twin children born next year is keeping him going as he continues to fight a devastating cancer diagnosis.
Henry Erskine, 35, from Crofton, was informed that he had stage four cancer in July last year and has recently been told by doctors that, if it is not treated, he may only have months to live.
Henry was married the previous summer to his wife Lucy, who is currently pregnant with twins and due to give birth in March next year.
Due to being urged by doctors not to have any more treatment through the NHS, Henry is now seeking treatment through other routes.
Over £50,000 worth of funds have been raised to help him fund the treatment by family and friends, who have described him as “the best bloke we know”.
Speaking to the YEP from his hospital bed at St James’s Hospital, where he has been “on and off” for the last three weeks, Henry said that the support he has received has been “overwhelming”.
Henry was first diagnosed with Leiomyosarcoma - a form of cancer that occurs in soft tissue - in 2021. He said: “It was during Covid times and it started off as a little cough. I thought it was something of nothing.
“It took a while to get an X-Ray but once I got one and they realised that there was a 15cm tumour there it moved quite quickly.”
Henry had the lung removed and 30 sessions of radiotherapy as a preventative treatment, which left him in a position of monitoring, regular X-rays and CT scans once a year.
Then, in July 2023, Henry had a CT scan which found that the cancer had reoccurred and spread to five locations.
Unfortunately, Henry’s medical team have exhausted all options for treatment on the NHS, and he is now looking further afield for treatment that could save his life.
He explained: “The doctors have advised me not to have anymore treatment because it could do more harm than good. The levels in my blood are not good enough for medical treatment.
“I’m running out of options.”
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Henry said that among the treatments he has been looking at, which the doctors have “not discouraged” him from trying, are oxygen chambers, infrared saunas, rife machines, supplements and other forms of natural healing.
He added that the doctors have told him that without the right treatment he may only have a “short number of months” to live.
He said: “That took some processing to hear. We knew this time might come but it’s happened sooner than we would have liked.”
However, the expenses associated with getting such treatment has become “unsustainable” due to the the cost of the various supplements, treatments and private consultation appointments.
He said that there have been positive moments though, and that the news that Lucy is pregnant with twins has given him a huge boost to keep fighting.
He said he is trying to stay strong and positive through this immensely difficult time, adding: “My main goal is just to make it until March next year when the babies are due and go from there. It’s giving me that extra bit of motivation.”
To help with the cost of the treatment over £50,000 has been raised through donations and fundraisers. Among those helping are his colleagues at Northern Grid, where he has worked since 2011.
Henry said: “The support and generosity of people has been overwhelming. We appreciate it so much.
“It’s right what people say; the worst of times bring out the best in people.”