‘I have never been so unprepared for anything – I crumbled’

Friends of a popular Halford worker, 29, have rallied together to help him “enjoy this wonderful planet we live on” after a devastating cancer diagnosis gave him “two or three” years to live. Devon, from Tonbridge, was ultimately given a terminal cancer diagnosis after several years battling embryotic carcinoma.

Devon said he first spotted a lump on his testicle in February 2020 but “didn’t think much of it”. Doctors said they thought it was probably a cyst but did an ultra sound to be sure.

Then-27, Devon waited three weeks for the test where he was “checked over and let go”. He said: “The technicican could see some shadows but wouldn’t say what they were or what they could be.”

Two weeks later he was called in for a consultation, where he got the devastating news it was suspected testicular cancer. Doctors said they wouldn’t know for certain without doing a radical orchidectomy.

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He said: “At this point I wasn’t really that bothered as he said its normally cut it off and move on. No chemo, no surviving cancer or even a battle so it was an easy choice. I had four days until surgery and during that time I had to go to a sperm bank before just to make sure I could have kids after surgery.

“The day comes and I’m pooping myself. I think this is when it dawned on me that this was real. Surgery went without a hitch and I had to wait for the results of the tests – I had to heal up and was in agony so didn’t think to much of it.

“Then d-day comes. I find out I have embryotic carcinoma, which is a pretty crappy cancer to have as its so aggressive and fast to move around the body.”

Devon was told he needed to have intensive chemotherapy called BEP, where he would face eight hours a day of treatment for three weeks, for three cycles.

He said: I have honestly never been so unprepared for anything in my life. I was devastated. I signed the waver accepting that I could die – heart failure, kidney failure, blood clotting, vein collapse, etc – it wasn’t a nice one to read.”

His treatment started the following week at Guys Hospital, in London. Devon said: “It’s a pretty and nice place but I noticed the smell in the chemo ward and it is and was a smell I will never forget. It is so clean, but almost too clean and by the end of my chemo I hated it.

“When you get called in to the chemo ward there’s about 20 pink recliners with everyone hooked up to drips – at this point I realised I was not ready for this. I honestly have never wanted to run away as much as that moment.

“I sat and went through my plan and got hooked up and those first few days I would not talk to anyone. I was a man. I could deal with it – but I crumbled.

“The first two days I was ok but then it got really hard. I felt nauseous, didn’t want to eat. I could taste metal and was alone. I started face timing friends, family, anything to keep me going but I couldn’t. I broke and broke big time.

“I remember looking at these men and women some with hair, some without and I just felt so weak that I had done this for only a couple of days and I was already crying. But, eventually I started to speak to these heroes and made new friends.

“I got through my chemo, I still don’t know how and got the all clear for remission – I even rang the bell.

“Unfortunately cancer doesn’t just end and after months of tests for tumour markers they started to rise, so I had more scans and they found the cancer was in my lymph nodes – which is basically your body’s highway – and thigh.

“It has kept on spreading till I got to where I am now with a terminal diagnosis.”

‘Fingers crossed we can hold onto our beautiful friend’

Devon has been told he has around two or three years to live, but hopes to start more chemo this month and a break-through vaccine in September.

But treatment comes at a hefty price and his friends and colleagues at Halfords have launched a summer of fundraising. Vicky Rudd and Anne-Marie Paul will be doing a summer of fundraising including a sky dive, charity gig and more.

The pair said they hope to raise as much money as they can to “help fund our lovely colleague and dearest friend Devon’s treatment”. They said: “Devon has unfortunately been given only a few years to live having battled cancer for a couple of years now but with some more chemo and a break through vaccine, fingers crossed we can hold onto our beautiful friend.”

Devon said he is so grateful for all the support he has received from Halfords, Vicky Rudd and Anne-Marie Paul and his area and divisional manager – Jason Bunsell and Carl. He said: “I would like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart.

“I want to continue to live my life and for that I need your support so please from a guy who has been humbled, dig deep and please spread this around.”

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