Stephen Lea, 33, from Bootle, Merseyside, started to experience back pain last year and was given a devastating diagnosis after he went in for an MRI scan to find out the cause
A 33-year-old man could have just months to live after he was given a devastating diagnosis when he complained about back pain.
Stephen Lea, 33, from Bootle, Merseyside, started experiencing back pain last year with he and his partner Lucy Feeney, 30, believing it could be due to his work as a roofer. But an MRI scan in January of last year found he had stage four non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The NHS says the cancer affects lymphocytes and causes them to lose their infection-fighting properties, making a person more vulnerable to infection. Back pain is a symptom of the cancer, although it is not common and many people might not experience any symptoms.
Despite having undergone several rounds of treatment, the cancer is still growing. Stephen told the Liverpool Echo: “It was around October 2023, we’d just been to Venice for my girlfriend’s birthday and I had back pain. I just thought it was normal wear and tear through work.
“Then I started going down the route of trying to ease any pain. I’d lie down on my back for 10 minutes to try and stop it. But it was getting beyond a joke.”
Stephen added he saw numerous doctors and claimed they said it was a problem with his muscles, with the pain continuing. He then went to see a private physiotherapist about the issue, who then suggested he should get an MRI scan.
He was then given the devastating news on January 24, 2024. He said: “I was sitting there in the hospital waiting seven hours for results. Then I got told I had to be kept in hospital.
“I was sitting on a bed and it took a while to process it. I tried to take it my stride. Then I wanted to go home but I was told I couldn’t go anywhere. I had to stay on site. I was straight onto IV drips and steroids.”
Lucy said: “We were together when we found out. We kind of knew it was going to be something sinister. But he was working long hours, he was healthy. You never think it’s going to happen to someone you love. It was just a whirlwind. You can’t put into words how it feels.”
In the past 18 months following his diagnosis, Stephen has had multiple rounds of chemotherapy, emergency radiotherapy, CAR-T cell therapy and immunotherapies. Stephen thought his age meant there was a good chance his cancer could be treatable.
But the latest scans have shown the cancer is continuing to progress and options available to him on the NHS are limited. Stephen is now uncertain how long he has to live.
He added: “At the beginning, I had six rounds of chemotherapy. When I was going through, I was under the impression there was a good chance of remission.
“But there’s not much else they can do after four different types of treatment. I’ve also been told you can’t put a timeframe on it because you can’t see how much it’s grown.
“One doctor predicted weeks to a short month. A second doctor said he was surprised I’d got through all the treatments and was still here. He said, ‘you’d be lucky to get to winter.’
“I predict I’ve got around two months but I haven’t been told that. I did emergency radiotherapy and emergency chemo. When that didn’t work, that was seen as the final straw. It was that bad of an outcome.”
Stephen is hoping to receive a combination of cancer drugs tomorrow that are used to treat Hodgkin lymphoma. A GoFundMe page has been set up by his friend Gary Jones is aiming to raise money for treatments and creating happy memories for Stephen.
Stephen said: “The NHS don’t support these and they all cost money. I’ve still got my job but I’m on SSP (statutory sick pay). I’m taking a massive deduction in terms of my own income. To do these treatments, I’ll need to pay about £300 to £400 a week. It won’t be easy to do that.
“The main reason we’ve set it up is to help fund these other pathways and turn those weeks and short months into years. I don’t like handouts but we’re at the point where these things are costing a lot of money. If my girlfriend or I run out of money, I can’t pick out money from the sky.
“I massively appreciate the support anyone gives. I’ve seen support from people I went to school with. I didn’t expect it. The people that are close to me can take me to hospital. The people that are far away can’t do that, so if they can help in the way of donating, that’s great.
“I don’t know if when I die it’s going to be painful or not. The cancer is just as stubborn as I am and that’s what makes it hard for me. I just want to prove doctors wrong and still be here in October and November.”