A COFFEE addict has told how his favourite drink helped him discover a deadly disease before it was too late.
As a train driver Michael, 58, "lived on coffee" to help get him through shifts.
But in July 2021, he noticed drinking coffee gave him "sharp pains at the back of [his] throat".
He went for a check up where he found he had throat cancer.
Michael started to feel tired just walking up a street and went through three months of "aggressive" treatment.
The train driver had 35 sessions of radiotherapy and three cycles of chemotherapy, and was hospitalised twice before getting the all-clear in February 2022.
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Michael, of Leeds, West Yorks, said the treatment made him "really poorly".
"I had a feeding tube which I found really difficult," he explained.
According to Cancer Research there are around 12,000 people in the UK diagnosed with head and neck cancer each year, making it the eighth most common cancer in the country.
And over the last decade, head and neck cancer rates have increased by a quarter.
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After having treatment, Michael slowly started to "build his strength back" and was looking forward to returning to work as a train driver.
But in April last year, he had a pulmonary embolism which happens when a blood clot gets stuck in an artery in the lung.
Michael said he thought he was "dying that day" but has thanked the NHS for "saving his life all over again".
Reflecting on his diagnosis, Michael has now said "how incredibly lucky" he was to survive the treatment.
He is also planning a ten-hour fundraising walk for Leeds Hospitals Charity to thank the "incredible people who kept me alive."
Michael said: "Looking back, I saw how incredibly lucky I was to survive it all.
"I'm now training for a ten-hour fundraising walk for Leeds Hospitals Charity as a way of saying thank you to all the incredible people who kept me alive.
"I just want to do anything I can to help them, to help pay for that extra equipment they need.
"It was hard being so ill, but I can't praise the hospital staff highly enough."
Signs of throat cancer you need to know
Throat cancer refers cancer that develops in your throat (pharynx) or voice box (larynx).
- A cough
- Changes in your voice, such as hoarseness or not speaking clearly
- Difficulty swallowing
- Ear pain
- A lump or sore that doesn't heal
- A sore throat
- Weight loss
Source: MayoClinic
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