A man who has never had a cold before has been told he could have just a year left to live.
Ashan Corrick's remarkably long run of good health came to an end when he started suffering from a headache.
Two days later he went to Southmead Hospital in Bristol and was told he had "incurable" stage-four brain cancer.
The devastating diagnosis came as his sister was battling a burst fallopian tube and his mum was dealing with leukaemia, Bristol Post reported.
The 25-year-old's family have rallied around him, refusing to accept his prognosis and raising money for treatment.
His twin brother Aysa, who is fighting a boxing match as part of a bid to raise £20,000, said: "A lot of our family have suffered from cancer. To hear that word said about Ashan shook us.
“That was the biggest shock. It had always been older relatives who had it before him. Ashan has never been ill in his whole life.
“Sometimes it was annoying that nothing affected him. He’s so laid back he’s almost horizontal.
“Then something like this happens and it’s so sad.”
Just months before doctors gave him the grave diagnosis Ashan had set up a home improvements company, which had been flourishing.
“It was constant and paracetamol wasn’t working," he said of his headache.
"It was only a seven out of 10, but it wasn’t going away.
“I drove myself to Southmead and they gave me a scan. Then when I was in the waiting room, a woman came out and said she had found something.
“A dark mass in the brain was mentioned. I had to stay in overnight, but I didn’t think it was going to be that serious.
“The next day they operated on me. It was only five minutes before the op that they told me, almost in a passing way, it was cancerous.”
The surgeon removed a glioblastoma tumour from his brain, but was not able to remove the cancerous cells which were deeply embedded.
“When I came back around, the conversation about it being cancerous still hadn’t really registered," Ashan said. "I thought I was fine."
Aysa added: “We could tell he genuinely didn’t understand."
Four days after surgery Ashan was discharged.
It was only after he returned to the hospital for his results that he realised how ill he was.
“They gave me a year or two with treatment,” he said.
“About 50% of people with my condition get past the first year, 25% past two years and 10% past five years.”
The difficulty of the situation was compounded by other health issues in the family.
Aysa said: “Our sister was in hospital in Birmingham with an ectopic pregnancy. Her fallopian tube had burst and the doctors said it was the first time they had seen that. Thankfully she is OK now.
“Our mum has a slow-acting form of leukaemia and also had pneumonia recently. Our cousin has cancer and is going through chemo, and our aunt died from it a few years back.
“It felt like a curse had come on the family.”
Ashan is feeling healthy and is determined to overcome his cancer, despite doctors saying it cannot be cured.
He said: “We take positives from the stories we have read about, people who have recovered from the same thing.
“We are reading anything and everything about tackling cancer.
“I have even started an Alkaline diet, but I’m not enjoying that too much.
“I’ve lost 15kg because I haven’t had much of an appetite. I’m missing the weight a bit, because I’m starting to get a bit weaker.”
The twins are flying out to Barcelona on September 30 so Ashan can start an experimental cannabis oil treatment.
“We want to leave no stone unturned,” said Aysa.
“The support we have had is overwhelming.
“I always thought the world was quite an evil place but since this has happened, it’s made me feel like there is a lot of positivity in the world.”
When he gets back he will start a course of radiotherapy, which could cost him his hair and will make him fatigued.
“Life’s going too fast at the moment,” he said.
“But I’m alright. I’m ready for anything.
“I don’t have time to think about what’s happening. Every day I’m trying something new.”
