- Alex Lewis-Mayhew was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2005
- He beat cancer for 7 years but it returned aggressively three years ago
- Has been told he has weeks to live after exhausting all treatment options
- Has recently become a father through IVF after his wife miscarried 3 times
Gazing down at his tiny daughter, Alex Lewis-Mayhew looks serene, lying with his baby girl in his arms.
But his adoring stare is tinged with sadness.
The 40-year-old has been given just weeks to live, four months after celebrating the birth of his 'miracle' daughter.
Mr Lewis-Mayhew, was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour in 2005 but managed to stave off the disease for seven years.
But, in 2012, the cancer returned aggressively and on August 13 he was dealt the devastating blow that he was unlikely to live for more than a month.
He is no longer eligible for further surgery and has exhausted all standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments.
Currently too weak to be able to hold his baby, Augustyna, he is now fundraising for alternative therapies to keep him alive, so he can make as many memories as possible before he passes away.
Alex Lewis-Mayhew has been told he has just weeks to live, four months after the birth of his 'miracle daughter' Augustyna, by IVF
Mr Lewis-Mayhew is at home, hoping to make as many memories as possible with his wife Rachel, 46, and his daughter, before he passes away
His wife Rachel, 46, said the joy of having their first child together soon turned to despair when they were given the news he would not be there to see her grow up.
She said: 'Having our first baby together was supposed to be the happiest time of our life but it is very much bitter sweet knowing Alex has just weeks left with us.
'This year was going to be so special as we became parents for the first time after just one cycle of IVF which used all the money we had.
'Alex reached 40 and we will have been married for 10 years in October.
'We were hopeful that he would beat the disease like he first did in 2005 but that dream was torn away from us.
'Alex wants to spend his last weeks at home with me and Augustyna so we are having a hospital bed delivered this week.
'He is currently too weak to even hold his daughter but I know being around her uplifts his spirits.
'It's devastating seeing him so ill but I'm cherishing every moment we spend together as a family as I know there are so many things he is going to miss out on watching our baby girl grow up'.
Mr Lewis-Mayhew, a former motorbike engineer who lives in Ibstock, Leicestershire, was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour that is normally found in children - medulloblastoma - in 2005, after suffering months of severe headaches.
But after an operation to remove the tumour, he was deemed in remission and the couple tied the knot a month later.
Augustyna was born in May after Mrs Lewis-Mayhew suffered three miscarriages, and the couple spent their savings on one cycle of IVF treatment
Mr Lewis-Mayhew was first diagnosed with a medulloblastoma, a brain tumour commonly seen in children, in 2005, but managed to beat the disease for seven years. It returned aggressively in 2012
Mrs Lewis-Mayhew said: 'We waited five years before we started trying for a baby as we wanted him to be cancer free.
'We never thought it would come back seven years later but when his headaches returned, a scan confirmed our worst fears.'
As he had always wanted to be a father, he had his sperm frozen in 2012, in the hope he would beat cancer a second time around.
It's devastating seeing him so ill but I'm cherishing every moment we spend together as a family
Rachel Lewis-Mayhew, 46
Mrs Lewis-Mayhew said: 'But this time it had spread to his spine and despite having several cycles of different chemo therapies that gave him some tumour free periods over the last two years.
'He also had a drug through a clinical trial in March of this year that severely debilitated him and still suffering the side effects, the cancer again returned'.
The couple were determined to stay positive and although Alex's body had taken the wrath of intensive treatments, they hoped there would be other options available.
Mrs Lewis-Mayhew added: 'I'm so proud of how Alex has handled the latest news, it's so upsetting to know that he won't be here to see Augustyna grow up but we are taking each day as it comes.
'She's the miracle we always wanted but I just wish we hadn't waited for five-years as we would have shared so many more memories together as a family.
'Doctors didn't tell us all the facts about the high likelihood of Alex's cancer returning so we thought we had all the time in the world to start a family. '
Mrs Lewis-Mayhew says she wishes they started a family earlier, so her husband would have more time with her daughter. She said: 'There are so many things he is going to miss out on watching our baby girl grow up
Mr Lewis-Mayhew is now at home with his wife and daughter but is too weak to pick her up. His family is fundraising to pay for alternative therapies to keep him alive for as long as possible
This year has been a 'roller coaster' as she and her husband have spent so much time apart, she added.
'I was hospitalised at 34 weeks pregnant when I suffered an a ruptured appendix with peritonitis, I ended up having to stay at my mums as Alex couldn't look after me as I was off my feet for weeks.
'And Augustyna suffered two hernias at six weeks old so I had to undergo surgery too which meant I had to stay in hospital with her.
'It's always one thing after another but we are trying our best to cope with the recent news.
'Our friends and family have been so supportive and I have no set up a GoFundMe page so anyone who wants to help us help Alex spend as much quality time with his family as possible has the option to.'
WHAT IS MEDULLOBLASTOMA?
A medulloblastoma is a type of brain tumour, which is rare in adults but more common in children.
The malignant tumours form from primitive or poorly developed brain cells.
Most start in the lower back part of the brain.
Less than 90 children a year develop medulloblastoma.
Less than 90 children a year develop medulloblastoma.
Symptoms include:
- nausea and vomiting
- lethargy and irritability
- headaches
- clumsiness
- difficulty with school work
- changes in personality and behaviour
- walking abnormally
If the tumour spreads to the spinal cord, symptoms can also include:
- back pain
- difficulty walking
- problems with bowel and bladder control
Source: The Royal Marsden Hospital.
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