Dad whose ‘heartburn’ turned out to be serious cancer given ‘second chance’ thanks to stranger’s choice

A dad who found out he had cancer after experiencing ‘heartburn’ is able to live his life thanks to a stranger’s kindness.

The father-of-three from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, was given a ‘second chance’ after he underwent a life-changing surgery.

Neil Morris, 44, had always been fit and healthy, and loved cycling and running and has racing in several marathons.

However, in November 2023, Neil began to experience tightness in his neck and chest after cycling 100km.

His wife, Jenny, shared that initially he ‘didn’t think anything of it’ and thought the symptoms could be indigestion.

Neil Morris thought he had 'heartburn' until his devastating diagnosis (PA Real Life)

But the ‘sharp pain’ continued, leading to a trip to the GP.

“He thought it was heartburn, but I don’t think he’s ever suffered from that before,” Jenny said. “His concern was, ‘I’ve got chest pain, I ought to get checked out’.”

But after his GP saw him, he was sent to the local hospital, where a CT scan revealed a ‘gigantic mass on his chest’ and a blood clot.

Neil was then given more tests, scans, blood tests and a bone marrow biopsy, which confirmed a shocking diagnosis on November 29.

While Neil believed he had heartburn, it turned out that he was actually suffering from the effects of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), a type of blood cancer.

Immediately, it was time to get into action to save Neil at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford.

After 100 rounds of chemotherapy, eight hours of radiotherapy, five bone marrow biopsies, five bags of platelets, three blood transfusions, it was determined that he really needed a stem cell transplant to save his life through Anthony Nolan, a UK charity that works in the areas of leukaemia and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Jenny said that she suffered from ‘sleepless nights’ while waiting for a donor match, and in the end, they found one in Germany.

Neil was saved after a stranger decided to donate their stem cells (PA Real Life)

Jenny explained: “He only had one match, which is bonkers, and we still can’t believe it.

“We’re very lucky that he had one and the one that he had was a good one.”

Speaking about her message to the unknown donor in Germany, who cannot be identified, Jenny told PA Real Life: “There are no words to express how grateful I am.

“I suppose the only thing I can do is thank her for giving our children their dad back, for giving him a chance and for giving me my husband back.

“He has a second chance and the reason why he has that chance is because of her – and it’s mind-blowing there are not more people on the register.”

He soon went on to receive the stem cell transplant in May 2024 after one of Anthony Nolan’s volunteers flew to Germany to collect the stem cells and ‘managed to get them to him safe and sound’.

While Neil battled complications post-transplant, he was discharged to continue his recovery at home, where he was isolated for three months due to being vulnerable to infection.

As of right now, Neil - who is also known as Moz by his loved ones - is nine months post-operation, but he still has ‘a long way to go’ as the pair are fundraising for Anthony Nolan.

Jenny shared that he is ‘doing incredibly well’ and has even signed up for the TCS London Marathon to ‘give something back’.

“If Moz can go through everything that he has gone through, then I’m pretty sure I can get myself around London,” she said.