A MAN in remission from cancer has told of the“miracle” of surviving after doctors found a tumour “the size of a brick.”

Lester Pyatt, 61, was weeks from death until he received specialist treatment.

He was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in May last year. After partially losing his voice in February 2019, he had tests and biopsies which confirmed that he was suffering with cancer. It wasn’t until after 20 weeks of chemotherapy and a PET scan in October which revealed that his tumour had only partially reduced.

Lester, from Evesham, was told that his tumour was not responding to chemotherapy treatment and his options were limited. Due to the size of his tumour, a stem cell transplant wasn’t an option – he was told only CAR T cell therapy was his only chance of survival.

He said: “When they first found the tumour it was stuck to the side of my lung. Doctors said it was the size of a small brick. It’s shocking.”

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Lester needed to be accepted for the treatment after referral - this would be decided by expert clinicians as the infusion is limited to around 200 selected people in the UK each year. On decision day - November 5 – Lester said it was a nervous wait as without acceptance he only had “weeks to live.”

He added: “When I got the call my heart was pounding, what a great relief when they said it’s good news. I was going to die otherwise.”

He was prescribed with two sets of strong steroids before some of his tumour was cut away.

After further chemotherapy in December, Lester received his infusion on December 16.

He was then closely monitored by nurses for 12 days, and allowed home on December 28.

Lester said: “When I looked at the before and after comparison PET scans, I said to the specialist what am I looking at here? He said nothing, because it has completely gone. I looked at my partner with bewilderment and didn’t know if I should laugh or cry, it was a miracle that a mass the size of a brick had completely gone.”

Lester is six months remission, but due to the coronavirus he has not been able to get his voice repaired yet.

Lester added: “Hopefully hospitals can get back to some normality after Covid-19, with the ensuing backlog of visits and treatments I am fully aware of the extreme worry cancer patients and families must be going through awaiting confirmation appointment letters.

“I just hope that my journey can inspire people to get through to the other side. In the meantime, I will religiously continue clapping for the NHS at 8pm on Thursdays why not? I will be forever thankful; they saved my life.”