Off The Record

When I Was Eating Bacon And Sausage Sandwich, I Noticed An Unusual Symptom. Next, I Was Informed That I Have Cancer And Have Only 12 Months To Live

Published on March 17, 2025

After discovering a symptom while eating a sandwich, a parent who was diagnosed with cancer was given a 12-month survival estimate.

At work, Des Longstaff was enjoying a bacon and sausage sarnie when a piece of the snack got stuck in his oesophagus.

Before he vomited blood and saw bleeding in his feces, the 39-year-old landscaper’s doctor advised him to have an endoscopy.

A 35-centimeter tumor in his lower oesophagus was found by medical professionals on Christmas Eve of last year.

His options for treatment were severely limited when it was discovered that his stage four oesophageal cancer had also migrated to his liver.

According to Cancer Research, aggressive oesophageal cancer is the most prevalent type in the UK and affects men more often than women. Usually, there is no cure for it.

Mr. Longstaff is currently receiving intensive chemotherapy and immunotherapy to teach his body to react to and fight the cancer because he was unable to have keyhole surgery.

He has been given only 12 months to live, and he hopes to receive treatment in Germany so that he may spend more valuable time with his five-year-old son.

In order to assist reduce the tumor, his family is also looking at alternative therapies like hyperbaric oxygen therapy, vitamin C and B12 intravenous infusions, and herbal remedies.

“The NHS has only given me 12 months to live,” he told Bristol Live.

Mr Longstaff added that his immunotherapy treatment is “palliative and it is to keep me comfortable so I don’t die straight away.”

Through a GoFundMe campaign, his mother Tracy has raised over £32,000 to send him to Germany for a revolutionary treatment that could extend his life by more than five years.

She wrote: “Our beloved Des has recently been diagnosed with advanced oesophageal adenocarcinoma (T3N3MX) which is now stage 4 , an aggressive and life-threatening form of cancer.”

“This devastating news has shaken us to the core, but we are resolute in fighting this battle together.”

She added: “Des is unable to work and will not be able to for the foreseeable future, we are exploring new treatments in Germany to give Des the best chance of a 5 year plus life expectancy.”

A hefty dose of chemotherapy would be injected into his liver throughout the ten-day treatment, which would cost approximately £42,000.

The primary tumor in his oesophagus would then be severed from the artery by doctors, who would wait five days for it to die before removing it.

The mesh would be used to build up the lining of his stomach.

Explaining in Germany there is no such thing as “terminal”, adding “they have one of the best treatments out there.”

Even though he claims that his disease has remained localized, there are still “two small dots” that, if left untreated, could develop into tumors.

He said the treatment was his ‘only hope’ to see more of his young boy, “the apple of his eye.”

“It is my only hope to see my five-year-old boy grow up. He is the apple of my eye,” he said.