Portsmouth newlywed Adam says: '˜I won't let cancer kill me '“ please help'

Adam Long was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer in September 2015.

It's a condition so vicious that it ravaged the 26-year-old's body, spreading from his pancreas to his liver, lungs and peritoneum.

At one point he was so ill, his weight plummeted by five stone, with doctors fearing he only had weeks to live.

But miraculously, the rugby player refused to give in and endured five different types of chemotherapy, two major operations and radiotherapy.

And although partly success in the beginning, the cancer has continued to grow and spread, exhausting all current treatments available on the NHS.

In a desperate bid to stay alive, Adam '“ of Stowe Road, Southsea '“ launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise £100,000 to pay for specialist immunotherapy treatment.

In a heartbreaking post on his fundraising page, Adam wrote: '˜The bottom line is I don't want to die.

'˜I have so many things to live for and so many things I want to experience.

'˜I only got married three weeks ago and I'm not ready to leave this world just yet - chemotherapy is not going to prolong my life for much longer and I have been told that my last hope rests on funding my own immunotherapy treatment, which is very expensive.'

Immunotherapy is currently not available on the NHS for pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer, however it is excelling in treating melanoma, kidney and lung cancer.

Within two days, his appeal raised a staggering £24,700, with Adam being named as a last-minute beneficiary of today's Rugby Against Cancer fundraiser in Portsmouth.

Adam, who played for Portsmouth Rugby Football Club, said: '˜This is huge. It's absolutely overwhelming. 

'˜My wife and I were looking at our phones and they were just going crazy.

'˜There were people we didn't even know, who didn't owe me anything, donating their hard-earned money to help. It's incredible.'

Adam's wife Georgia, 24, has been with him since his ordeal began and is desperate for her husband to stay alive. 

'˜We're both so young,' said the interior designer. '˜My thing is that no matter what they say we will find a way.

'˜The thing I find most difficult is watching Adam and what he is going through '“ that is tough. I feel helpless.'

The pair met in 2010 while at South Downs College and had planned to move to London when the crushing news of Adam's cancer was broken. Since then, she has stood beside him, with Adam proposing not long after his diagnosis.

They finally tied the knot on July 6 during an emotional service at the John Pounds Centre, in Portsmouth before jetting off to Croatia on honeymoon.

Tragically, the day the after they returned, doctors revealed scans of Adam's body had shown the cancer was once again spreading.

Adam added: '˜We don't really have dark days. We talk about it once, have a little cry and get upset then that's it. But now it's crunch time, there's not much else we can do.'

To help donate to Adam's appeal, click here to go to his Go Fund Me page