A HAMPSHIRE teacher has started planning his own funeral, as finances for the treatment which are currently keeping him alive dry up.

David Watt, 38, who teaches ICT at St Anne’s Catholic

School in Southampton, was diagnosed with bowel cancer two years ago.

The Echo ran an appeal to raise thousands of pounds for a life-saving cancer treatment in December.

Less than 24 hours later more than 120 donations amounting to £10,000 were made to his Just Giving page, helping him reach his £19,000 target.

He then began immunotherapy treatment, which is unavailable on the NHS, at Southampton General Hospital.

Last week, a CT scan revealed that the cancer has not spread to his lungs or liver and that the cancer is shrinking – but his funds are running out.

David said: “My treatment is working and it is keeping me alive, but it’s expensive and the NHS won’t pay for it.

“My cancer is smaller than it was last year, and if I continue to pay it will continue to shrink.

“But if I don’t then the likelihood is I will die.

“I have begun planning parts of my own funeral.”

Over a year ago David underwent surgery which removed 80 per cent of his intestines, but the cancer returned.

“If I hadn’t had the surgery, I would have died. Surgery helped for a little while but then the cancer returned.

“If I continue with the immunotherapy, the cancer will shrink to the point where it no longer shows on the CT scan, then there is a chance again that I could be cancer free.”

David now needs to raise a further £25,000 which will pay for eight more treatments, which doctors hope will shrink his cancer completely.

He said: “The hardest thing is coming to terms with the idea of death.

“Cancer makes it hard to plan a future, it is something that every adult fears.

“You think life is like a Walt Disney movie, where everyone gets to grow old and happy with a family, but with cancer that is not the case.

“When you get a terminal illness, you just try to live one day at a time and hope you live long enough for the NHS to find a free cure.

“I hope some people could donate if they could, but I understand times are hard.

“Many people are crowdfunding to pay for drugs that are keeping them alive and may cure them,” he added.

To donate visit http://bit.ly/DavidWattDonation