A blogger from Weston-super-Mare who has a rare form of aggressive and terminal cancer has described Weston Hospicecare staff as ‘beautiful, lovely and welcoming’ and has shared his story with millions of followers.
Dan Thomas, aged 32, has a number of large and painful tumours which have been caused by pleomorphic sarcomatoid carcinoma.
Dan started vlogging (video blogging) about his battle with cancer in January under the name PeeWeeToms and he now has more than 20 million followers.
Dan says he is amazed he is still alive but he is determined to have fun and make the most of the time he has left.
He said: “I shouldn’t have lived past April so to get to now is amazing, even the hospital said it was amazing.
“I have never faltered on my position of ‘I’m going to beat this’.
“I still haven’t given up, it’s not over until the fat lady sings.”
Dan says he sometimes struggles to attend the hospice due to what it represents for him, but he has nothing but praise for the clinical staff who have helped him.
He said: “I love Weston Hospicecare, everyone is so nice.
“I am opposed to coming here as much as possible, but sometimes I have to because things get out of control or the pain gets unbearable.
“The reason I am here now is because the pain is so overwhelmingly bad and I had to get some help and advice about how I can change things to alleviate the pain.
“It is important for someone like me, who is literally at the end of their life, to have this interaction and everyone here is just beautiful, lovely and welcoming.
“Everyone has helped me along the way, from the community nurses to the doctors.”
Dan has had a great deal of support from his followers since he started his blog – including a video message from space sent by Russian astronaut Oleg Artemyev.
He said: “I started vlogging on January 11, 2018 because my friends didn’t believe I had a really serious form of cancer.
“It has been a way of documenting my life and my funny side, although the vlog is now taking a turn for the darker side as my condition deteriorates.”
To follow Dan’s story and video blogs, visit www.peeweetoms.com or follow him on social media by searching for PeeWeeToms.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here