Terminal cancer patient in £10,000 research drive

Mark Taylor, from Handsworth in Sheffield, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in November 2009 after doctors discovered a tumour. He was told shortly after that it was inoperable.

The 47-year-old has now enlisted the help of his friends and family to help with his fundraising mission and has already collected more than 2,000 in just three months.

He said: "I know that the cancer is going to kill me so I want to

do everything I can to make

sure I leave a fundraising legacy that will help others in the future."

Since his diagnosis, Mr Taylor has been working to raise money for Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity, which funds special facilities to help develop clinical trials.

He said: "In 2005 I noticed that I had started to gain weight and within three years I had put on about five stones.

"I then started to feel increasingly unwell, losing the weight I had gained and suffering from abdominal pain, so I visited my doctor who referred me to hospital.

"After numerous tests and scans, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was told shortly after that it was incurable. The news came as shocking to say the least and it was very difficult to deal with at first."

Already Mr Taylor and his fundraising team, which includes his wife Kathie, 19-year-old daughter Perrie and 18-year-old son Cole, are well on their way to reaching their target after organising various fundraising events. Activities have included a raffle at Handsworth's Asda store and a boxing exhibition at St Paul's Hotel.

Mr Taylor, who worked as a retail manager before his diagnosis, added: "We are incredibly lucky to have a world-class facility like Weston Park on our doorstep and from a personal point of view I couldn't have received better care.

"People's generosity... has been fantastic."

Rachel Thorpe, director at Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity, said: "Mark's courage and strength in the face of such adversity is incredible. Weston Park is extremely proud to be a world leader in cancer research and receiving support from people like Mark and his family is vital to ensure that we can maintain our position in this field."