Terminally ill man's wife raising money for Bolton Hospice

John Hulme, 39, from Heaton, was diagnosed with Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (PMP) in 2017, after being admitted to hospital with suspected appendicitis.

Not only is PMP extremely rare, the doctor who first undertook a 12-hour surgery to attempt to remove the disease from John’s body described his case as the worst she had ever seen.

After multiple attempts to rid John’s body of the cancer, including three types of chemotherapy and a further attempt to operate by the only other PMP specialist hospital in the country, the disease persisted and there is nothing more doctors can do.

Until recently, he had been working at his job with Warburtons, and only stopped as a result of his illness in November last year.

John lives at home with wife Amy, 35, and his two daughters Katie, 18, and Laura, 10, where he is visited daily and looked after by staff from Bolton Hospice.

John and his wife, Amy, and children Katie (left) and Laura (bottom right) in 2019

Amy, a self-confessed thrill-seeker, is planning on doing a charity wing walk on July 16 to raise funds for the hospice caring for John, and shine a light on the provision of Hospice at Home team.

She said: “We wanted a bit of normality for the girls. You want to be able to be at home.

“The hospital would only allow me to visit. He was away from the family, his mum and dad.”

Not only does the service increase the quality of life that John has left, but it allows Amy to have her usual routine back after providing some of John’s medical care herself.

She said: “Them coming in now is allowing me to go back to work. They support John but they support me as well.”

Amy and John at Amy's graduation in 2019

Donations have already nearly eclipsed Amy’s original target of £1,000, and she is hoping to keep the momentum going and raise as much as possible for Bolton Hospice.

“I didn’t realise we’d get there so quickly,” she said.

“I’d like to get as much as we can, but £1,000 is great.”

“The hospice relies on donations because government funding only covers a fraction of the costs. Without (people’s) generosity they wouldn't be able to provide the care they do.

“Every donation, of any size can have a real impact on the care they offer and the difference they make in people's lives.

“We will be forever grateful to them for all they have done for us as a family.”

If you want to learn more about John's story and donate, you can visit Amy's Go Fund Me page here.