A BRAVE cancer survivor has spoken of his “shock” to be diagnosed with lymphoma when he was just 16-years-old.

During the summer, four years ago, Dan Pritchard, who was due to start his first year of sixth form at The King’s School, Worcester, had been struggling with his breathing.

After three months of worry a scan revealed a 9.8cm cubic mass in his chest which was blocking his airway.

Mr Pritchard, of Ockeridge, near Worcester, said: “It was a big shock. I had a number of scans throughout the summer - after a chest scan they found a mass in my chest.”

“I was more concerned for my mother than myself. I knew I could fight - she couldn’t fight for me.”

He was rushed to hospital and was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma on September, 7 2014.

His mother Julie said: “I was shocked because you never expect it to happen to you - I know everyone says that. I was phoned up at 8.30am on Tuesday morning to say they had found the mass on his chest -they said lymphoma. You don’t think you can manage but you get through it.”

He had six rounds of chemotherapy and three rounds of radiotherapy treatment between September and Christmas and was only able to attend school a third of the time.

“It was difficult to cope with the work,” he said. “I was not going to allow my treatment to hold me back with my education.”

His treatment finished in May 2015 and since then he has only had to attend routine check-up. He still suffers from fatigue, which is as a result of his treatment and is expected to last up to 10 years.

Mr Pritchard, previously of Marley, who is studying aerospace engineering at Sheffield University, has inspired an event called the Cob House Country Walk, organised by charity Bloodwise.

His story inspired the Bloodwise’s Cob House Country Walk. The event held for the first time last year and raised more than £6,000 for the charity.

The event starts at the park in Wichenford at 8am on September 1. Ramblers will set off at 10am. There are three walks to choose from a one, five or 11 mile trail.

All participants of the five and 11-mile walks will receive a full English breakfast at the Mayfly Café as well as a Bloodwise T-shirt.

To register visit bloodwise.org.uk/fundraising/events-challenges/cob-house-country-walk.