'Cholesterol test uncovered incurable cancer - I had to tell my kids on Father's Day'

'Cholesterol test uncovered incurable cancer - I had to tell my kids on Father's Day' EXCLUSIVE: John Thorncroft was told he had incurable blood cancer just days before Father's Day, despite having just gone in for a routine blood test to check for high cholesterol A father-of-two who thought he had high cholesterol was left devastated after learning he had incurable cancer just days before Father's Day. John Thorncroft, 58, had a routine blood test and expected nothing serious was amiss when he saw the doctor for his results weeks later in June 2023. But instead, he was left with the agonising task of telling his children he had cancer. When he first received the call back to discuss his results, he assumed it was linked to high cholesterol. "The GP initially did the test just to check for age related issues, so the diagnosis was completely out of the blue," he said. Recalling the dreaded phone call that changed his life, John said: "My GP rang me on the Friday before Father's Day and said, 'John, your cholesterol's fine, there's nothing to worry about. However, you've got blood cancer." John, from Port Talbot, began laughing assuming his GP was joking, but was then the horrifying reality set in. He was eventually diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Despite the diagnosis, John felt completely healthy. "I'm six foot one, I walk miles every day, I go to the gym and I looked absolutely fine," he said. "If you'd seen me, you'd have thought there was nothing wrong with me at all." The news came as a huge shock to John and his family. While he struggled to come to terms with his illness, one of his biggest worries was how to tell his children, including his autistic son Jack, 17, who he home schools. "The hardest part wasn't hearing the diagnosis. It was telling my children. I've always been the person who protects my family and solves problems when things go wrong. Suddenly I was the problem. I felt weak. I felt like I'd let them down." Blood cancer is the UK's third biggest cancer killer and fifth most common cancer. More than 280,000 people in the UK are living with blood cancer and every year around 41,000 people are diagnosed. After researching his condition and speaking to specialists, John sat down with his children to explain what blood cancer meant and what the future might look like. He had to tell his daughter Shannon, 28, on Father's Day when she travelled to visit him to celebrate. "There were a few tears," he said. "I'm Jack's go-to person for everything, so it was very difficult telling him." The family, including John's wife Sally, booked a cruise to the Norwegian Fjords to spend some time together following the difficult news. "That was really special," he added. "I'm grateful for every day I get and I know that won't last forever, but I live my life everyday. It makes it more special, I'm the protector of the family, it's my job to look after them." Today, John remains on active monitoring, often known as "watch and wait", where people are regularly monitored until treatment is needed. Due to the cancer being slow growing, doctors often wait until the person is symptomatic to begin treatment for the best possible prognosis. "Every 12 weeks I go for blood tests and every 12 weeks the numbers got a little bit worse," he said. "I'm grateful somebody is keeping a close eye on me, but at the same time I'm waiting to hear bad news." Two years after his diagnosis though, John, who is retired, experienced a serious decline in his mental health and sought counselling support. "I got to the stage where I thought, 'What's the point?' I wasn't planning to harm myself, but I'd lost sight of why I was doing anything. Cancer had changed how I saw my future. "Counselling completely changed my outlook. It gave me the tools I needed to cope and helped me get my life back." Many people with blood cancers such as CLL spend months or years on active monitoring before needing treatment. This Father's Day is going to be extra special for the family after John became a granddad. "Sally has just had a child of her own, so this Father's Day is even more special now we get to celebrate all together. We'll go out for a nice meal and spend quality time together which is all the more important now." To find out more about blood cancer or to support Blood Cancer UK's work, visit bloodcancer.org.uk .