EXCLUSIVE: Elliot Macdonald's world fell apart four weeks ago when tried to get to the bottom of an issue with his hand but despite the devastating diagnosis, all hope is not lost15:20, 02 Jul 2026A young dad has been told he could have less than a year to live after he suddenly struggled to write his name.‌Floor tiler Elliot Macdonald, 35, put his hand discomfort down to the rigours of his job, but his medic sister Lauren, herself battling Stage 4 melanoma, told him to get it checked after spotting some concerning signs. Elliot soon discovered the harrowing truth after he was told he had Glioblastoma - an aggressive and fast-growing form of brain cancer.‌Despite an average survival time of between 12 and 18 months, he is determined to "stick around" and watch his children grow up as his chances have been boosted after an army of friends take his story global. Elliot, from Barnstaple, north Devon, is dad to Aluna, 5, and one-year-old Ocie and says his world fell apart four weeks ago when he went to get his scan results.‌But he hasn't had to look far to finding some positivity. More than 80 people, friends, family and their connections, have come together via a giant WhatsApp group to tell his story around the world as they pushed his GoFundMe page using the power of social media.Elliot has been left overwhelmed after almost £160,000 was pledged within days - money that will enable him to undergo advanced life-prolonging treatment, giving the doting dad the very best chance of staying alive for years to come.‌He told the Mirror: "About four weeks ago I noticed something wasn't quite right with my hand, I was struggling to write. My sister's a doctor, and I told her about it hoping to get some advice. She said straight away 'get checked out'."Lauren has been touched by cancer herself during her life, and has battled Stage 4 melanoma. Her advice and support has been invaluable, although it has clearly been a very challenging time for our family. She has worked as a clinical trial doctor as well, so she knows a lot about groundbreaking studies.‌"I took her advice, and two days later I had a CT scan. I remember the doctor sitting me down and asking if I wanted to talk 'man to man' or as a family, calling my wife and asking her to come in. I said I was happy to be on my own and he delivered the news. I went outside and called Erica straight away, we both broke down."Within a few days I had open brain surgery but I then had a seizure, so they had to go back in. It was a whirlwind and I was struggling to take everything in. Naturally you just struggle to accept it. I've cried more in these past few weeks than I have in my entire life."He wasn't willing to accept the "blunt" medics' doomsday predictions, giving him possibly just months to live. Armed with the fact he now has the incredible financial support on his side, the family and their friends did some investigation.‌But it isn't just knowing he now has money to attack it, but thanks to his Instagram account @elliotscancerjourney he also has helpful knowledge of others who have been going through the same thing.Elliot is now considering his next step, with treatments predominantly offered abroad.‌German clinics CeGat and IOZK are leading the way, creating a personalised vaccine, either through analysis of a person’s blood or the tumour sample itself. They also offer immunotherapy, which harnesses the body's immune system to prevent and control the cancer with costs ranging from £80,000.Treatment is not available on the NHS and Elliot says he only found out about the option after conducting his own research."We all know the NHS is under extreme pressure, but they kind of give you no hope and it's a bit unfair," he added. "They tell you it could even be ten months, you have to prompt them to explain to you the options you could have.‌"Through the GoFundMe page, I was put in touch with a man who underwent treatment in Germany and is still with us ten years later. He reached out and we spoke, and after doing more and more research it has left me with some hard decisions about which therapy I will choose."Despite his incredible family giving him more reason to keep fighting, Elliot made a powerful confession that underlines the brutal nature of what they are all going through.‌"I may surprise people by saying this, but one of the things I said to the doctor was that I wish I never had children," he said. "You think about them growing up without a father, and one day him being there and not the next. It breaks your heart knowing what it will do to your family."You can't just focus on yourself, you're forever thinking about the weight you are putting on the shoulders of everyone. I struggle to accept that, and what it is doing to the people I love."My daughter Aluna knows, she is five. I just think she believes daddy is just not very well. My son is only one but one day I won't be there. That's why I'm doing this, I want to be around for as long as I possibly can and why I can't accept my story is over - for them all. My kids, my wife and my family."‌He also struggles to accept the extraordinary online reaction that has seen his ambitious total smashed within four days. He says any money left over will help support others suffering as he called on the government to do more for those diagnosed with Glioblastoma - and to dedicate more resources to fighting it.“Only one per cent of funding toward brain tumours goes towards Glioblastoma, that’s not enough,” he said. "This is the cancer that kills most men under 40 in the UK. How can such a small amount of funding be available?‌"I know I'm one of the lucky ones in a way, despite the disagnosis. When people ask for help they don't get a reaction like this. It's so incredibly overwhelming and so humbling. We're all just lost for words."His wife Erica spoke of the challenges the family face and explained that the whole community seems to be behind them."It's been very hard to navigate keeping Elliot stable and keeping our family going, you're kind of in autopilot mode really," she said. "You're hanging all your hopes on the medicine.Article continues below"I had a moment recently when we were all at the beach, the weather was lovely and I remember thinking 'this is incredible, aren't we lucky?'. Then I had to correct myself, no we're not. Life is actually very cruel."But the whole of north Devon seems to be behind us. I went to get my haircut and even the hairdresser refused to accept my money. While it's so sad that this is our reality, you hold on to even the smallest of chances. If you don't, you'd just crumble."To donate to Elliot's treatment, visit his GoFundMe page here.