18 January 2023 , 15:53
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A man who mistook symptoms for an ear infection has now been told he has months left to live, after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.
Dave Whitford, 49, says he is trying to make the most of the time he has left, and is spending it with family and friends when he can, report Yorkshire Live.
But due to the cost of living crisis, the dad has been left with a hole burning in his pocked as his outgoings are bigger than any benefits he receives.
He has now started a fundraiser to help keep himself and his family afloat as he is out of "work now and I'm on £156 a week".
The dad has revealed that he is "just trying to live the rest of my life as best I can" after doctors found the inoperable Grade IV brain tumour during Easter in 2019.
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Dave is hoping to make the most of the time that he has left with his family and friends (Yorkshire Live/MEN Media)
Dave was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in 2019 (Yorkshire Live/MEN Media)Dave, who now lives in Sheffield, recalled the moment in 2019 that his life was turned around.
His life was thrown into disarray after an appointment in the hospital revealed something much more sinister.
Speaking about the lead up to his diagnosis, Dave said: "It was Easter Sunday in 2019, I'd been working and got home about 3pm and it was a beautiful day so I decided to sit out in the garden and have a drink. I remember I only had one, maybe two sips of a whisky and coke and stood up to move the brolly for the sun and came over all dizzy.
"I'd never had anything like it before, I thought to myself 'you've not had that much to drink'. I went in and I'd been laid in the living room then at about 9.30pm I only just made it to the sink when I started being sick.
"On the Monday I was supposed to have my daughter to stay who was 14 at the time but I got up that morning and I couldn't walk in a straight line. My ex-wife rushed me to the hospital and they found I was suffering from an inner ear infection caused by a tiny insect bite."
While performing scans on Dave's head to search for the cause of his sickness and balance issues, doctors also found a small mass on his brain.
Scans showing Dave Whitford’s inoperable brain tumour (Yorkshire Live/MEN Media)Although it was initially left under observation, it resulted in the immediate removal of Dave's bus driving license and left him unemployed.
Dave - who has been employed since the age of 16 - quickly found himself back on his feet though, and worked as a self-employed handyman, citing a love of DIY and working with his hands.
However, this job come to an end in 2021 when the growth on his brain began to expand rapidly, where Dave explained: "They'd been monitoring it and at a scan in 2021 they said it was growing quickly. They decided to operate and to remove part of the brain there.
"It was December 6, I was in hospital for 12 days after and that was the end of me working as they took away my driving license. I was out in time for Christmas though which was a relief, I love Christmas and being with family."
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The dad says he went to the hospital thinking he had an ear infection (Yorkshire Live/MEN Media)
Some symptoms, the dad says, have been difficult for him and his family to adapt to (Yorkshire Live/MEN Media)The effect of the operation on Dave's life has been dramatic, fundamentally altering him as a person and limiting what he can do.
Some of the symptoms are more lighthearted as Dave said he now can't stand the taste mushrooms which he used to love.
However, others have been more difficult for him and his family to adapt to.
He says that he now suffers from a lack of energy and finds himself crying regularly due to the section of brain that was damaged.
It has also had a profound effect on his short term memory, leaving him struggling to find his chain of thought or he the words he wants to say.
Tragically, doctors found that not all of the tumour was successfully removed during the operation in 2021, leaving Dave facing intense courses chemotherapy and radiotherapy to limit the growth of the tumour.
Dave has worked from the age of 16 in a number of jobs including as a bus driver for Arriva (Yorkshire Live/MEN Media)
Dave says that due to being out of work he's 'on £156 a week' but is 'easily paying more than that out' on expenses as he supports his family (Yorkshire Live/MEN Media)Despite his difficulties, he has praised work the staff at the Royal Hallamshire and Weston Park Cancer Centre, describing them all as lovely.
He now lives with his new partner, after meeting them on a dating site while waiting for treatment in 2019.
Dave said: "They usually say with the type of tumour I have that I'll get another 12 to 18 months to live but they just don't know for sure. The doctors said luckily the treatment after the surgery has worked so the tumour is basically on pause at the moment.
"I'm obviously out of work now and I'm on £156 a week but easily paying more than that out. I get cold really easily now after the operation and I've lost a lot of weight but the heating has obviously got a lot more expensive.
"I'm just trying to live the rest of my life as best I can and try to stay brave for my daughter and my partner and her family."
Dave's family and friends have helped him set up a GoFundMe page for the coming months, where a goal of raising £10,000 has been set.
To donate to Dave you can do so here.