A 28-year-old man has spoken of his heartbreaking plea to survive after being told he has only a year to live. Mitch Middleton, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, said, “I don’t want to die,” as his family launched a desperate effort to raise £500,000 for potentially life-saving cancer treatment.
In December 2023, Mitch was diagnosed with central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma, a rare and aggressive cancer that develops in the brain, spinal cord, or cerebrospinal fluid. Over the past year, he endured intense treatments, countless hospital visits, and a stem cell transplant in September 2024, which briefly gave his family hope.
“For the first time, we dared to hope,” Mitch’s sister Jessie told The Mirror. After his transplant, Mitch began rebuilding his life, travelling with his girlfriend, returning to his job as a gas engineer, and moving into a new home. However, that hope was shattered last month when Mitch learned the tumor had returned.
On December 2, doctors delivered the devastating news that “there was nothing more they could do,” offering only palliative radiotherapy to extend his life. Unwilling to give up, Mitch consulted a private specialist in London and discovered a cutting-edge therapy that could help—but it comes with a staggering price tag of £475,000.
The family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise the necessary funds and, as of Sunday morning, they had already gathered £190,385 in donations. In his heartfelt plea on the page, Mitch said: “I really don’t want to die before my 29th birthday. The only option for me is either get lucky with a clinical trial or private treatment.”
Jessie spoke about the shock of Mitch’s diagnosis: “When we received the news of Mitch’s diagnosis last year, the bottom fell out of our world. How could our baby brother, at 27, have CNS lymphoma?” She described her brother as “a natural charmer” loved for his humor and energy. “Mitch loves nothing better than playing tricks on his nieces and nephews but also spoils them with the latest trainers or gadgets.”
Jessie concluded with an emotional plea: “It’s impossible to fathom that a treatment with the potential to save Mitch’s life exists but is out of reach because of funding rules. Mitch has so much to live for, and we cannot give up on him. Please help us save Mitch.”
The family is now racing against time, urging the public to share Mitch’s story, raise awareness, and help meet their fundraising target so he can receive the treatment he desperately needs.