When Kevin Wilson was given the “cut-throat” cancer diagnosis, his wife Ashley was by his side to ease the pain and hold his shaking hand.
And to this day, Mr Wilson’s family has remained the ray of light through the darkest of days, giving him the strength to look forward to a brighter future.
His journey with the disease began last summer, when he started to feel unwell and would often get dizzy or have hallucinations.
The biggest “ordeal” for Mr Wilson, however, happened on July 11 after his colleagues found him unresponsive while working in Iraq.
He was airlifted to a hospital in Dubai where he was treated for encephalitis – a rare but serious inflammation of the brain – for three weeks.
Mr Wilson, 51, returned to Aberdeen and after another few weeks in hospital, he was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour the size of a lemon on September 14.
“I guess the initial shock was the biggest thing for both me and Ashley,” he said. “Suddenly we had no idea what the future would hold.
“You never think it’s going to be you. The doctor kept telling us to be positive, positive, positive – and that’s what we’ve tried to do.
“But it takes time to actually process that information to come out on the other side of it and realise there are positive stories.”
‘Cancer changes your life completely’
Mr Wilson, from Dyce, underwent an operation a week after his diagnosis.
The tumour was successfully removed, but the cancer had invaded nearby brain tissue and he had to go through sessions of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
In the following months, the services provided by Friends of Anchor and NHS staff became a lifeline for Mr Wilson.
While he admitted keeping positive was sometimes a challenge, he was determined to get through it to be there for his wife and four sons – Marc, Lewis, Bradley and Ben.
His greatest pillar of strength was Mrs Wilson who stood by his side, helping him to battle through the darkest days with a positive mindset and hope.
He said: “My wife has been there all the way through from day one. She has been by my side every step of the way and my main power of strength, along with my children and my colleagues.
“Until you’ve had it yourself you don’t really understand what it takes to get through it, and how much it takes out of you as well. It changes your life completely.
“I’ve tried to be very positive throughout this, but these are the people that pick you up on a dark day and keep you going.”
Be positive – even when it’s not easy
Mr Wilson is now gearing up to take on another challenge and show off his dancing skills in front of hundreds of people at Friends of Anchor’s fashion show in May.
With three rehearsals already in the bag, he is looking forward to taking over the stage alongside another 23 Brave men and give back to the charity.
He said: “Doing the Brave show has been fantastic. It’s given me an opportunity to speak with other people in similar circumstances and see what they’ve been through.
“I’m looking forward to getting up on that stage in front of a big crowd and showing everybody that even with cancer, we are still enjoying life.
“My message to anyone going through this is to be positive. You will have bad days and you will have good days, but try and keep the positivity there – even when it’s not easy.”
Brave will take place at the Beach Ballroom on May 4 and 5. Tickets for the all-men fashion show are available on the Friends of Anchor’s website.
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