A father-of-four was unexpectedly given just months to live after a trip to the hospital.
37-year-old Paul Walker from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, was confronted with devastating news after paying a visit to the hospital thinking he was suffering from heartburn.
As the man revealed, he thought he was suffering from heartburn after experiencing pain in his chest. Following days of discomfort, Paul’s concerned wife Laura decided to call for help thinking her husband had suffered a heart attack.
After the young dad was rushed to the hospital, he was diagnosed with diabetes and gall stones. The problems, however, did not end there.
As a CT scan revealed, the man has been suffering from stomach cancer, whereas the symptoms of the condition were disguised as the symptoms of heartburn.
To make matters worse, Walker was told he had just months to live because his cancer is terminal.
“I just keep asking myself why this has happened. There must be a reason, because I am only 37 and can’t understand how this has come all of a sudden,” he said in an interview with Belfast Live.
“A few weeks ago I had gone to the out of hours GP with heartburn and after coming home and taking some Gaviscon, the pain kept getting worse. My wife Laura ended up having to phone me an ambulance because I was sure that I was having a heart attack.”
While the dad is set to kick off his treatment as soon as possible, he has allegedly already been warned that his condition is too severe to be cured and that treatment will only prolong his life.
“It is still difficult to talk to the children about it. I have explained to my oldest that I am sick and the doctors are doing tests, but I haven’t told him the full craic yet,” Paul added.
“My amazing wife has been so supportive throughout this and my goal is to spend as much time as possible enjoying life with my family and friends in the coming months and trying to make the most of things while I can.”
Following the dire diagnosis, Walker’s friends decided to set up a GoFundMe page to help the young dad make some unforgettable memories and save some backup money for his wife before his passing.
“On Monday morning I took my best friend from school to a hospital appointment at the Royal for him to find out his scan results of his stomach, he got the devastating news that he has only 5 months to live meaning it would potentially make it Christmas time for his passing,” George Keenan, a longtime friend of Walker, wrote.
“Putting salt to the wound is the fact that he’s only 37 and just a few weeks ago celebrated his youngest daughter’s 1st birthday.point 233 |
Today after visiting him I was asked by his wife if I could let him and his son come to my house and watch a Manchester United game on my 85 inch tv as he’s always wanted to see them live and this would be the closest thing to it.point 183 | 1
“This has caused me to look into wish granting charities like the Purple Heart foundation, but we simply don’t have time on our side to wait so I’ve decided to set up a GoFundMe for him to live out a few of his last wishes and leave his wife with some funds for when he’s gone as adjusting to life with four children by herself will be a monstrous mental and physical task.”
Our thoughts are will Paul and the family during these challenging times.