After experiencing months of excruciating stomach pain and rapid weight loss, Tom Hayman begged his GP for help… only to be told that he was ‘drinking too many fizzy drinks’.
But the father-of-one, 28, from Warrington, Cheshire, refused to accept he was simply suffering from acid reflux – and after a year of pleading, was referred for a scan which revealed cancer.
Speaking on his behalf, his heartbroken fiancée Mary Cooper, said: ‘They were just fobbing us off with things like “you drink too many fizzy drinks”.
‘The doctor thought it was acid reflux, but this was coming from his liver area.
‘I knew it wasn’t right for him to be doubled over in pain.
‘Tom was worried it was something sinister – but the doctor laughed and said he wouldn’t have cancer at his age.’
Mr Hayman, who worked as a plumber, had been feeling unwell since the summer of 2024 but claims his symptoms were repeatedly brushed aside.
But scans later revealed the true cause – a neuroendocrine tumour that began in his pancreas and spread to his liver.
Tom Hayman with his fiancée Mary Cooper and their son Ronnie, four
Ms Cooper said: ‘He’s a 6ft 5ins lad who loves his food – but all of a sudden, it was like he started forgetting to eat.
‘He just didn’t want food. If he did eat, he’d get really bad stomach pains.
‘He also started to lose a lot of weight.’
Despite fearing something was seriously wrong, Mr Hayman spent around six months going back and forth to his GP surgery with no answers.
Ms Cooper claims the GP suggested he undergo scans only because Mr Hayman appeared anxious.
The tests, carried out at Warrington Hospital early last year, changed everything.
Ms Cooper said: ‘A day later, they rang to say they’d found something on his liver.’
Further tests in London confirmed the devastating diagnosis – a neuroendocrine tumour that had already spread, along with a blood clot on Mr Hayman’s liver.
He was fobbed off repeatedly by his GP who said he was ‘too young’ to have cancer
There are two main types of neuroendocrine cancer: neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) and neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs), which are fast growing. They are a group of cancers that start in the nerve and gland cells that make and release hormones.
The disease can develop in different parts of the body where there are hormone-releasing cells, such as the stomach, pancreas, lungs and bowel.
Symptoms include unexplained weight loss, tiredness, pain, diarrhoea, bloating, wind, heartburn, asthma-like symptoms, a flushing rash and a persistent cough.
Common misdiagnoses include irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, or menopause.
The couple were referred to Clatterbridge in May 2025 and have been researching treatment options ever since.
Ms Cooper said: ‘Tom felt like he was not being listened to and almost mocked.
‘Hearing the word cancer was overwhelming.
‘It was all a bit of a blur, to be honest.
The family are fundraising for treatment in Germany which isn’t offered in the UK
‘We were both crying and the next thing we were thinking was – how are we going to tell our family and friends?
‘What is his life going to be like now?
‘We couldn’t take in anything that was said during that appointment because our worlds had just stopped.
‘I can’t explain the feeling. It was just sadness and anger. There was a wave of emotions.
‘You think about the future and buying a house, getting married, having more children – but you’re asking whether these things are ever going to happen.’
With no cure available in the UK, the family’s hope now lies overseas in Germany, where doctors offer dendritic cell therapy, a form of immunotherapy designed to help the body fight cancer.
Mary said Mr Hayman found out about the treatment through social media.
After reaching out to hospitals abroad and sharing Mr Hayman’s medical notes, discussions about treatment options began.
Ms Cooper says her future husband remains positive as he battles the disease
The family are aiming to fundraise £50,000 which would cover medical fees, travel, accommodation, and time away from work while Mr Hayman focuses on getting better.
Despite everything, Ms Cooper says her partner remains positive – even when his health dips.
She said: ‘He believes that if he thinks positively, then positive things will come.
‘He takes everything in his stride.’
Their son Ronnie, four, is unaware of the seriousness of his dad’s illness – but senses when something is wrong.
Ms Cooper said: ‘He doesn’t know what’s happening, but he has seen when Tom’s not unwell, which upsets him.
‘We’re just trying to keep life as normal as possible for him.’
Mary said she hopes sharing her future husband’s story will raise awareness – particularly among young people whose symptoms may be ignored.
Neuroendocrine Cancer UK (NCUK) say that the disease affects 6,000 people a year in England and can take four years to be diagnosed. More than half of cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage.
Analysis by NCUK suggest rates of the disease rose by 371 per cent between 1995 and 2018, compared to 116 per cent for other cancers in the same period – apart from non-melanoma skin cancer.
