Tears, fears and hope: 86-year-old fundraises by writing about living with cancer

An 86-year-old member of Watford & District Synagogue has launched a fund-raising campaign by writing an online diary about his ongoing battle with kidney cancer.

“I want to show that you can live with cancer and also do something worthwhile” says David Davis, a retired journalist who spends no more than an hour each morning on David’s Cancer Diary in which he tells with great candor how he and his wife Beryl, 84, are coping with the highs and lows of life in Bushey Heath.

“Every day we live with tears, fears and lots of hope,” says Davis.

In his monthly diary David recalls his pain and personal moments of distress and their anxiety every time he goes to Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC) in Northwood where doctors monitor the effect of his immunotherapy treatment, which is taking a pill a day since last November.

One of the symptoms of cancer is fatigue. It affects 99% of all suffers and is one of the most difficult to handle.

“It hits you suddenly, like lightning,” says Davis. “It can last a short time, a couple of hours or even longer and you go into a deep sleep, not like going to bed, but your body seems to stop working.

“I am affected in many ways, physically, emotionally, and mentally. There are times when I have ‘brain fog’, and find it difficult to think clearly, or to concentrate. Muscle weakness and a lack of energy makes everyday tasks, even showering, difficult. Just watching football on TV is often too taxing and from time to time I have a negative mood change, which is really frightening for Beryl.”

When David got his first attack, he decided not to sit and wait for the next one. Instead, encouraged by Beryl, he started writing again and the diary was born.

With more than 500 members of staff, MVCC treats over 5,000 patients a year.

Click here to donate to Mount Vernon Cancer Charitable Fund and read David’s diary.