A FATHER with terminal cancer has appealed for help to create happy memories with his wife and child in his final weeks.

Adam Nicholls, 34, thought he had beaten cancer but was recently told it has returned more aggressively and his only treatment option now is palliative chemotherapy to keep it at bay.

His family want to help raise money for him to spend whatever time he has left making memories for his family to cherish.

So far, the funding page set up by his father Martin, has smashed the £1,000 target originally set and it now stands at £2,260.

Mr Nicholl said: “The future for my son Jeremy and wife Claire went through my mind - and it’s been an emotional last three weeks since I’ve been told the news.

“I want to use the money donated to take my family to safari parks and the beach and leave them with lots of happy memories for the future and take lots of photographs at the same time to look back on.

“Jeremy loves animals and so does Claire so I thought Peppa Pig World which is down south.

“ I would love to take them to Disneyland Paris but that doesn’t look likely now with the pandemic.

Mr Nicholls received the ‘all clear’ from Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma - a rare form of cancer affecting salivary glands of the head and neck - in January, but his symptoms returned just a couple of months later and an MRI scan in May revealed the malignancy had come back in a more aggressive form.

Mr Nicholls said: “The symptoms felt the same from when I first got diagnosed in March 2019 - I had painful headaches again and the feeling of pressure behind my eyes.

“I was about to start a phased return to work at HMP Long Lartin in April, where I worked in an operational support grade.

“I have now started palliative chemotherapy at Worcestershire Royal Hospital - I had to wear a mask and get my temperature checked when I started my first session.

“I’ve been fitted with a chemo pump and a community nurse can deal with my treatment from now on, making it easier for me.

“Jeremy doesn’t really understand what’s going on due to his age and he has the disability cerebral palsy [a physical condition which affects movement, posture and coordination], which also makes it difficult.

“It’s at a time like this when you realise how close family are and what they mean to you.”

When first diagnosed, Adam - originally from Worcester but living in Evesham - endured two operations to “debulk” the tumour, followed by just under seven weeks of radiotherapy at Worcestershire Royal Hospital to kill any remaining cancer cells.

“Radiotherapy really takes it out of you - I was tired and sick and couldn’t physically eat so I had a tube going directly into my stomach to give me food - called a PEG - I lost four stones in weight in 12 months”, he said.

Mr Nicholls added: “Thank you to everyone for their kindness not just your donations but your kind words - it really means a lot.”

To support Mr Nicholls and his family, visit the Just Giving page at justgiving.com/crowdfunding/martin-nicholls