Dan’s story

Gillingham father-of-two Dan O’Neill fulfilled his wish to drive his son to Prom thanks to the DCCF.

Groundworks Foreman Dan, 49, received help from us following treatment for rectal cancer.

Dan told how he experienced three, sudden massive bleeds on Good Friday last year.

He said: “I thought the ache in my buttock was sciatica, but it turned out to be something much worse. It was terrifying to be told I had cancer.

“My wife Pauline and I have two teenage children, Alfie, 16 who has cerebral palsy and Maisie, 15 – and cancer turned all our lives upside down overnight.”

Dan underwent weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and managed to keep working throughout.

But a scheduled seven-hour operation to remove his tumour and install a permanent stoma turned into a 14-and-a-half hour operation which: “hit him for six”:

“I insisted on coming out of Southampton hospital as soon as I was able, but the recovery period has been much longer than I hoped,” he said. “I still have 68 stitches.”

“I also couldn’t work, which then gave us the stress of struggling to paying the mortgage. But luckily a friend told us about the Dorset Cancer Care Foundation (DCCF).”

“This amazing charity paid a couple of months of our mortgage, which took an enormous chunk of the strain off us,” said Dan.

“That generosity got us through the worst period of my recovery, when our stress was at its peak, and we can’t thank the DCCF enough.”

Dan was determined to recover enough to drive his son Alfie, who is 16 and has cerebral palsy, to his school Prom.

“I was adamant the cancer wouldn’t stop me doing that – and it didn’t. It was pretty special.”

Alfie, a pupil at Yewstock School, (pictured here with his mum and dad), said: “I never had any doubt that my dad would recover from cancer – and also take me to Prom. He’s the strongest person I know and I’m very proud of him.”

Dan added: “I now want to pay something back to this charity which helped my family when we were at our very lowest ebb.”

The DCCF’s Fundraising Manager, Jannine Loveys said: “Dan, like many people diagnosed with cancer, was forced to endure the added worry of how he would pay the mortgage, on top of the terrible stress of his illness.

“We are glad to have been able to step in and help and look forward to following his recovery.”