Dad with five years to live makes family time
WHEN Neil Taylor and his wife Alex found out they were expecting their first child, it should have been the most exciting time of their lives.
But just 13 weeks into the pregnancy, on Christmas Day 2016, Neil had a seizure out of the blue.
Terrified, Alex phoned for an ambulance. Neil was checked out by a doctor who advised him to return if it happened again.
It was Boxing Day night when the second seizure struck in his sleep.
Neil was referred to a neurologist for a scan and, in February 2017, the pair were called to hospital where they received some earth-shattering news. Neil had a brain tumour on his left frontal lobe – and medics predicted he only had 10 years left to live.
Neil told the Observer: “When we got the prognosis, it was very upsetting. I don’t think it really sank in for me, but then I saw my mum and wife’s faces when they were told.”
Medics operated on the now father-of-two, from Middleton, to remove as much of the tumour as they could. It was identified as a grade three astrocytoma, which would need further treatment. Following intense courses of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Neil was told he may not be able to have any more children.
Miraculously, following the birth of his daughter Annabelle, he went on to have son Harvey in January 2021. Neil now has regular MRI scans to check for regrowth but he still lives with the devastating illness.
Doctors predict he only has another five years left to live. To spend more precious time with his wife as children while he can, Neil recently gave up his job as a franchise supervisor for Mcdonalds in Manchester.
“It was a really good job,” he said. “But I was often working weekends and was conscious that I was missing valuable time with my family. I need to catch up on missed time with my children. Over the last few years, I’ve been worried about them rather than myself.
“It upsets me and it’s just about making as many memories as possible and making sure they’re set up in terms of their lives and they have good characteristics and they’ve been brought up well.”
After his diagnosis, Neil started fundraising for Brain Tumour Research, which soon led to him and his family setting up Neil’s Appeal, a fundraising group under the umbrella of Brain Tumour Research. It has already raised close to £29,000.
Now his friend, Hannah Mckenna, from Blackley, is set to climb to more than 5,000 metres above sea level later this month when she takes on an Everest challenge to help find a cure for brain tumours.
“I’m so grateful to and humbled by Hannah for choosing Neil’s Appeal and Brain Tumour Research over all the other charities out there,” Neil added. “It’s really amazing what she is doing and I wish her all the very best of luck.
“It may be too late for me, but we desperately need to find a cure, so please help by making a donation to Hannah’s fundraising.”