A SOMERSET man was diagnosed with cancer just two days after his third child was born.

Jay Martin, 47, noticed a lump on his neck in March 2023 but thought it was a swollen gland until it started to get bigger.

In May 2023, two days after his third child was born, he went to Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, Somerset, alongside his wife, Sarah, 38, to get it checked out.

Doctors looked down Jay's throat and told him they suspected he had cancer in his tonsil with a biopsy later confirming the diagnosis.

Within two weeks, Jay had an operation to remove one of his tonsils and started six weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in June 2023.

After Jay finished the chemotherapy and radiotherapy, a scan showed the cancer had gone from his tonsils but was still in his neck

In February 2024, Jay underwent a throat dissection - an operation to remove 13 lymph nodes, two nerves, and saliva glands.

He then went another four months without treatment until a scan in June 2024 showed the cancer had spread to his chest and spine - and doctors told the family it was incurable.

Jay has now started immunotherapy in the hope it will stabilise the cancer but Sarah admits they don't know what will happen next.

Sarah, a beauty trainer, from Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, said: "The hope is that the immunotherapy will stabilise the cancer.

"Jay will have the treatment for two years but we're not sure what will happen.

"We had told the children it has spread but haven't told them how bad it could be as we don't know what is going to happen.

"It is so surreal for us - it doesn't feel like it is happening.

"We feel numb, I don't think either of us has properly registered what is happening."

Two months before the birth of their third child, Jay noticed a lump on his neck but thought it was a swollen gland until it started to get bigger.

He went to get it checked out two days after the tot was born.

After having a tonsil removed Jay also underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

But he later discovered the cancer had left his tonsils but was in his neck.

In February 2024, Jay then underwent a throat dissection - an operation to remove groups of lymph nodes.

The operation was successful and they removed some nerves and veins that had cancer attached.

Jay is now at the beginning of two years' worth of immunotherapy with relatives and friends setting up a GoFundMe for the family to make memories.

Sarah said: "We're all a member of Berrow Football Club and one of the school mums said she can't stop thinking about what is happening to us.

"Jay is not working and I am not able to work much but we would also really like to do things as a family.

"We would love to take the kids on a memorable holiday and make as many memories with them as we can."

Link to the GoFundMe - https://gofund.me/1c8b89c1