“I’m still strong and active. Looking at me and hearing my story doesn’t marry up.”
John with Jorja 15, Paris-Cole, eight, and Clay-Ty, four, and wife Nicole
A fit and healthy father-of-three has been “handed a death sentence” after his struggle to swallow food led to a terminal cancer diagnosis.
John Robertson was diagnosed with Stage 4 oesophageal adenocarcinoma last month, which has spread to numerous areas of his body, including his liver.
The 35-year-old, from Ayr, first began experiencing difficulty swallowing in February, which ultimately caused him to lose three stone in just two and a half months, while also suffering agonising chest pains that resembled a heart attack.
After visiting his GP, he was fast-tracked for an endoscopy, which revealed a bleed and a mass tumour covering 75 per cent of his oesophagus.
John has been given just nine months to live and is “crushed” by the prospect of not seeing his children, Jorja, 15, Paris-Cole, eight, and Clay-Ty, four, grow up – or sharing a future with his partner of 11 years, Nicole, 29.
John and his beloved son on his wedding day in 2022(Image: Supplied)
John told the Daily Record: “It was the most devastating, world-crushing news. My world fell apart.
“My kids don’t deserve to lose their dad so young. I want to watch them grow up and guide them through life.
“To know I might not be here to walk my daughters down the aisle or watch my son grow into the gentleman he is already becoming is heartbreaking. I don’t want them to remember me as ill. They’ve already seen enough.
“A future with my wife has been stolen from me. I don’t understand how I’m dying but look the picture of health.
“I refuse to believe that my time is almost over.”
John, a glazier, had always enjoyed good health, but when food began getting stuck on its way down — forcing him to bring it back up to ease the pain and clear the blockage — he grew increasingly worried.
Several months later, he began suffering a severe, crushing pain in the centre of his chest, accompanied by a tightening sensation around his ribcage, which prompted him to visit his GP and be referred for CT scans and biopsies.
John and his partner of 11 years, and wife of four years, Nicole(Image: Supplied)
The doctors who diagnosed John told him there was no way the cancer could have been found earlier, as by the time symptoms emerged, it was already too late. Instead, John was told he had potentially been carrying the tumour for years.
The disease has since spread to his lungs, throat, right adrenal gland, and liver. He is now on an entirely liquid diet, is due to begin chemotherapy this month, and may require a feeding tube.
John said: “I remember seeing a pool of blood in my throat on the screen during the endoscopy. The doctor’s face dropped. I was so panicked.
John was fit, happy, and healthy before he got diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer in June(Image: Supplied)
“Doctors have told me I’ll look like this until the end except a bit paler and thinner. My bloods, liver function, and heart rate are good. I’m still strong and active.
“Looking at me and hearing my story doesn’t marry up.”
John has since launched a fundraising campaign to cover the cost of private medical treatments and trials not currently available on the NHS, and is awaiting word on whether he has been accepted for trials in both Germany and London. The funds will also be used to create lasting memories with his loved ones in the time he has remaining.
He went on to say: “We’re trying to cram a lifetime of experiences into a few months.
John feels “deep sadness and heartache” at the thought of leaving his three beautiful children(Image: Supplied)
“I’m writing cards and recording video messages for my family to cover birthdays and other celebrations.
“I want them to know I will still be there with them through every milestone.”
Find out how you can help John and his family on their GoFundMe page.