A dad-of-three who suffered stomach pain and said that anything he ate "didn't taste right" has been told he just has months to live.
Pete Murphy, from Burnage, Manchester, was found to have stomach cancer last week, and was rushed to Salford Royal Hospital the following day for surgery after the tumour perforated.
The 55-year-old survived the operation but doctors said the cancer has spread to his liver and behind his stomach and that there is "nothing they can do".
His daughter, Sarah, said the family is struggling to come to terms with the diagnosis.
"It's been the most traumatic week ever," she said. "We're all in shock. We don't really know how long he has got left. They have said maximum a couple of months if he can overcome the surgery and the infection he has got."
Mr Murphy, who also has three grandchildren, first began experiencing stomach pain and struggling to eat in February.
"He started to get really bad stomach pain and was saying anything he tried to eat didn't taste right," Sarah told the Manchester Evening News. "It got to the point that he couldn't eat anything."
Mr Murphy went to his GP and, following a series of tests, doctors found he had stomach cancer.
And shortly afterwards medics discovered his tumour had perforated and he was rushed to hospital, where an urgent operation was carried out.
"It was terrifying for us to see," said Sarah. "He looked like he was going to die."
Although medics claimed his chances were "not great", Mr Murphy survived the surgery and is now recovering in hospital but the perforation has caused his abdomen to become infected.
In order to make the most of the final months she has with her father, Sarah has set up a fundraising page to raise money.
She hopes to use the funds to support her father and make the most of the time he has left. She wanted to treat him to a BMW driving experience, while the money would also go towards covering the cost of the funeral.
"We were not prepared for this at all and we have no funds for funeral plans or to make this any easier," she explained.
"We want to spend as much time with him as possible to make his time memorable and keep up with all of our financial commitments. We have had time off work and are now struggling and worrying about money and how we can fully support him.
"He is still doing okay at the moment and I hope that continues so we can get the chance to do the things he wants. He's mentioned having a Christmas together and for us all to go for a meal.
"He has also mentioned driving an M2 competition BMW as he loves cars. I'm hoping he gets to a point where he will be able to drive."
You can donate to the fundraiser here.
