A GRANDAD who has had almost 30 cycles of chemotherapy during his eight-year cancer battle has praised the 'superb' care he has received.

David Grogan, 66, said he even 'looks forward' to his chemotherapy sessions at Burnley General Teaching Hospital due to the friendly and caring welcome he receives.

His life was turned upside down in 2010 when he was diagnosed with bowel cancer.

After having radiotherapy and a major operation at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital in 2011, he went for routine check-ups to see his consultant.

In 2016 David, from Tockholes near Darwen, then had some scans and was hoping to get the five-year all clear that year.

But his consultant told him they had found something on his pelvis and a couple of weeks later, David was given the devastating news the cancer was not curable but could be managed through chemotherapy.

He was also told in April last year that the cancer had spread to his lungs

David, who is married to Jenny and has one son, two grandsons and a grand-daughter, said chemotherapy has not been as terrible as he feared it might be.

He said: “Initially, you are filled with dread, but after the first session, I thought: ‘it is not that bad’ although the effects do start building up.

“I have not lost my hair through chemotherapy. The main side effects I have had are severe fatigue and numbing of the nerve ends in my fingers and toes.

“But apart from that, I have not found chemotherapy that brutal.”

David began chemotherapy in July 2016 and had 14 cycles of chemotherapy which led to the tumour shrinking.

He then went to a hospital near Watford to have targeted radiotherapy which does not damage surrounding tissues.

In April last year, David had a CT and MRI scan which showed that the cancer had spread to his lungs and his oncologist advised going back on chemotherapy at Burnley Teaching Hospital.

David is now back on chemotherapy and things have stabilised.

He is having chemotherapy at the new £750,00 Primrose chemotherapy suite at Burnley Hospital which opened last December.

David said the caring nature and dedication shown by the staff at East Lancashire Hospitals has made his diagnosis and treatment easier to bear.

He said: “The chemotherapy unit at Burnley is not a place of doom and gloom.

“It is like a happy family and you are always greeted with a smile and there is a lot of banter.

“This has made my diagnosis and treatment easier to bear.

“When you are first diagnosed, you look back over your life and think: ‘Why me?’ and can feel anger and frustration.

"But after a while, you realise you have to not ‘count the years, but live the days’ and look forward to what you have got.

“Having that positive thinking helps immensely as does the support of your partner, friends and family.

“Even though it sounds strange, I actually look forward to going to my chemotherapy sessions because of how friendly, welcoming and dedicated the staff are.

“They are all incredibly caring without exception.”