A FIT and healthy dad training for a marathon was shocked to be told he had only months to live.

Mark Jones first recognised he was unwell in the lead-up to Christmas, when he became increasingly tired and had pains in his back and side.

The 45-year-old, from Urmston, Greater Manchester, then found a lump in his stomach.

He told Manchester Evening News: "I knew there was something wrong.

"I thought it was a hernia at first. I'd been training for a marathon so I'd run a half marathon a few weeks before.

"Naturally, you're just thinking for the best. Cancer is the last thing on the list."

But Mark was referred to hospital to have scans and was told last month that he had kidney cancer.

Kidney cancer is rare in people under the age of 50, the NHS says. It can be cured if found early, but once it has spread, it is unlikely.

A common cancer, it's diagnosed in 13,300 people in the UK each year, and takes the lives of 4,600.

As well as a lump or swelling in the side, and pain in the lower back or side, kidney cancer causes blood in urine.

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Mark, father to Poppy, eight, and Sadie, three, said: "They confirmed it right out of the blue.

"They said it had spread to my spine so they needed to do radiotherapy to shrink the nodes so I can move and walk.

"I was straight in hospital and had radiotherapy on the Saturday. I lost use of my legs because they put me into spinal shock.”

Mark had ten sessions of radiotherapy over three weeks.

But the brave dad kept his diagnosis quiet because he wanted to know what his prognosis was, first.

Doctors told him Mark’s cancer was so advanced it was incurable.

Mark said: "That was a bit of a shock. It all happened so quickly.

"As soon as I knew, I told my family and friends that unfortunately they're going to lose me.

"Ultimately, it's kidney cancer and it's just spread everywhere. It's incurable. There's nowt we can do, it's all about how long we can keep me alive now.

"There's no way I'm going anywhere in two months.

"I'm going to keep fighting and stretch it out for as long as I can. If I can get to Christmas, amazing."

Mark, who had worked in IT, is bed bound due to his treatment – a far cry from his previously very active and social life.

He said: "From being really active and sociable to being sat in here every day is not the best.

"I'm positive and fighting, but it does get a bit demoralising. I'm getting physio every day and have managed to get into a wheelchair, which is good.”

The severity of Mark’s situation led him and his partner, Sarah, to finally get married.

The couple had “talked about it in the past” but never got round to it.

Mark described their wedding as “a huge milestone in unfortunate circumstances”. 

They had a short ceremony at their home with their daughters as ring bearers. 

On March 13, a group of Mark's closest friends will be attempting to walk the Manchester Marathon route to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

In less than a week, they have already surpassed their fundraising target of £10,000.

Click here to donate.

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