Gamlingay dad with terminal cancer fundraising to adapt home and stay independent

Shaun Robinson, 41, has a rare spine cancer which affects around one in 20 people worldwide – and is now paralysed from the waist down due to the effects of radiotherapy.

Shaun and his wife, Hannah, 35, have started an online fundraising page to help pay for a wet room, hoists and an electric wheelchair, and to fund further testing as well as treatment abroad.

Shaun told the Chronicle: "It's shown me how unfair life is, but it's also shown me how kind and caring people are.

"People I have never come across in my life are trying to help, and it's just overwhelming. It's amazing."

Hannah said: "It's the cliché; we all take life for granted. We are going through the hardest times but we have made some beautiful memories, reconnecting with old friends, and it makes you appreciate life so much more."

A West Ham fan, Shaun grew up in Knebworth and has always been a keen sportsman, with interests in football, cricket and golf.

He'd put a niggling gripe in his spine down to his active lifestyle, until things took a more serious turn.

He explained: "I had lower back pain since I was 22, but in the end it got to the point where I was getting numbness down my right leg and struggling to walk."

An MRI in 2018 found a rare spinal tumour called myxopapillary ependymoma, and Shaun went through a 12-hour operation that removed most of it – with the remainder thought to be "benign and slow-growing".

But in 2021, a second tumour appeared higher up Shaun's spine, and the original one started growing back aggressively – meaning two more major operations.

"One lasted 15 hours, cost me 17 litres of blood and put me in intensive care for three days," said Shaun.

Despite the radiotherapy that followed, the cancer came back to Shaun's spine in 2024, and has since spread to his pelvis, lungs and ribs.

Hannah said: "When you have a young family, you have no choice but to keep going.

"We've got a tradition at the dinner table where you say what your favourite part of the day is – there's always something to be grateful for."

Shaun said: "For the kids, it's all they've known since they were born. They are incredibly resilient, and we’re so proud."

Despite the gruelling treatment, the determined dad is still working as an operations manager, while Hannah has taken a step back from her business to help care for her husband.

Shaun said: "Thank you to our friends and family, and everyone who has supported us. We are really grateful and just want to keep the fundraiser moving.

"And I'd like to thank my team at Addenbrookes. They have been so on it. I can't fault them."

The couple also thanked their friends who are soon to be taking on fundraising challenges – so watch this space.

Shaun concluded: "We keep going. We keep fighting!"

The fundraiser currently totals over £64,000 and has a target of £75,000.