A YOUNG dad who was diagnosed with bowel cancer on Father’s Day has vowed to keep fighting.
John McCallum and wife Lorna Forsyth are looking to raise more than £200,000, which would see him fly to Germany for a liver transplant.
Already, more than £30,000 has been raised to help fund the trip, which had left the father-of-two “gobsmacked”.
He said: “For both myself and Lorna, we are both quite proud and don’t want to go cap in hand but we are both determined and fighters, and this has to be done.
“The amount of times we have had bad news from the oncologist – what do you do? We’re just not giving up.
“The amount of research my wife has done and that is one thing, you keep fighting, keep fighting, keep fighting.
John with his young children Emma and Ivy
“It is really educating yourself on what is out there – different treatments, different drugs and bringing it to the table and asking ‘what about this?’
“[It's about] being your own advocate for your care.
“We are both just determined fighters and we are not going to give up if I can buy myself another 65 to 70 years; we are not going to give up on that.”
Thirty-five-year-old John, who lives in Haddington with Lorna and their two children – three-year-old Emma and one-year-old Ivy – had previously played linebacker for the Edinburgh Wolves American football team and also enjoyed a season playing rugby with Forrester in Edinburgh.
A keen runner and mixed martial artist, he was shocked when he was given the diagnosis last year.
He said: “There were no signs or symptoms.
“There has never been cancer in my family and I’ve done tests since and I have got no pre-anything to say I would get cancer or it would be likely.
“It came as a bit of a shock.
“I had pains in my abdomen in May last year.
“Doctors said I had a fever and pain in my abdomen and it could be Covid.
“Tests came back negative and two days later the pain had gone away.
“Three weeks later, it came back and it was a lot worse.
“I’ve got a really high pain threshold but this was excruciating and I went to the hospital and got morphine and everything.
“I then got moved from the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (ERI) to the Western General and they did a scan and they thought it could be colitis, an inflammation of the gut, or my appendix.”
A fundraising page for John has raised more than 33,000 so far. Donations can be made at gofundme.com/f/9g9rx-help-john-beat-stage-4-cancer
However, it was during a lengthy operation that surgeons found a large tumour, which had caused a perforation in his bowel.
Since then, John, who was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer, has undergone chemotherapy, with doctors fearing that his liver may never be operable.
John, who works for HSBC, and the donor would travel to Germany for a transplant, which would see three operations – one to remove part of the liver from the donor, with John’s liver removed over two surgeries – carried out.
The family is trying to raise £220,000, with members of the public supporting him.
He said: “I thought there would be no chance we would get near £30,000.
“I’m absolutely astonished by how kind people have been and just from people sharing the story; it has been shared 2,000 times and seeing people talking about you that you have never met.
“Everybody is pulling together and it restores your faith in humanity after everything you see on television.
“It is amazing how people have been, just amazing.”
To support the family, go to gofundme.com/f/9g9rx-help-john-beat-stage-4-cancer
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here