A young dad with terminal cancer has created a bucket list to make special memories with his family after he stopped his chemotherapy treatment.
Dove White, 42, made the brave decision to end his treatment in November after a difficult six-year battle with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma - a rare form of the disease that develops in the salivary glands and other regions of the head and neck.
The dad, from Whiteinch in Glasgow, now wants to focus on making memories with his wife, Sarah, 40, their daughter, 17, and his stepson, 16, as he has no idea how long he has left to live.
One of his final wishes is to take Sarah to Iceland to see the Northern Lights for their honeymoon as the couple were unable to travel after tying the knot in 2017.
He told the Record: "It just wasn't possible to travel due to my health, it's the simple things that I've missed the chance to do. I don't want to leave it too late.
"Ending treatment was one of the most difficult choices I've ever had to make in my life. The illness, the pain and the mental state of mind combined with seizures were only a few of the contributing factors. I knew that no matter what I chose, I'd regret that I didn't do the other.
"Experiences are more memorable. All the money raised will be spent on the bucket list to give my family happy memories of me after I'm gone. Hopefully one day they'll be able to look back and smile."
Dove was taken into hospital shortly before Christmas Day in 2016 after 'ignoring' a lump in the roof of his mouth.
Doctors found a rare type of cancer with no known cure was growing just millimetres below his brain. Over four years he endured radiotherapy, ten bouts of gruelling chemotherapy and one 16-hour operation, which left him without the right-half of his jaw, his sense of taste, smell and hearing in his right ear.
As well as having his salivary gland removed during the surgery, a section of Dove's shoulder was taken out to replace the palate he had lost in his mouth.
The procedure was a success, but in 2020 the dad suddenly collapsed after struggling to breathe. Doctors then found the disease had spread to his lungs.
Dove says that although he never lost his hope during his treatment, the physical toll it took on him throughout the years had become too much to bear.
He added: "I started each chemotherapy round with my fingers crossed that some kind of miracle would come out of it. I lost my hair, but I didn't lose my hope or smile. By the time I was due to have my fifth round of chemotherapy, it was really starting to take its physical and mental effect on me.
"I couldn't move, eat, drink, take my medication and I was so severely dehydrated that my lips had turned purple. I thought I was strong, that I'd be able to take it head-on but it was just too overpowering.
"If I was supposed to do this treatment every week of my life I knew it would break me. Was it really worth a longer life if it's not a good quality life?"
Sarah added: "My husband truly is my inspiration, he is in constant pain these days but always manages to have a smile on his face for other people and always thinks of others before himself. I still remember clearly the day we got told about his cancer, I felt like my whole world had collapsed.
"We are unable to work, so we cannot afford to go on a big family holiday and Dove has never been on a plane. It would be brilliant to see his face light up if we were able to go somewhere abroad as a family and experience something new that we would probably never get the opportunity to do."
Donate to the family's bucket list by clicking here.
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