Tameside father: 'I survived cancer after five of my family died'

BBC News

08-03-2025

A father who has survived cancer three times after losing five family members due to a faulty gene has told how he has volunteered to be a "guinea pig" to help save others. David Wragg, 44, was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 16 after spotting a lump on his arm and later testing positive for the rare genetic condition Li-Fraumeni syndrome.His mother, grandfather, sister, aunt and uncle all died after they too were found to have the same faulty gene.Mr Wragg, of Ashton-Under-Lyne in Tameside, has now been told he is cancer-free and has agreed to "do anything I can" after joining scientists to be studied as part of research into the gene.
He was speaking as researchers in Manchester are set to share £50m of renewed funding for work into early detection of hereditary cancer.According to the NHS, people with Li-Fraumeni syndrome have a nine in 10 increased risk of developing specific types of cancer by the age of 60.Mr Wragg said his family became aware of the problem when his maternal grandfather died of bone cancer in the 1980s.
He recalls being diagnosed with the same condition at 16 then finding out about the family history, later testing positive for the rare syndrome.Days later he was warned he may lose his arm but a surgeon was able to save it, he said.He made a good recovery and had a decade of being cancer-free before a second diagnosis at 28 after finding a small lump on his shoulder, he said. He once again needed chemotherapy.And, while he was undergoing treatment, his mother Sharon Stones, was also diagnosed with cancer.It spread to her lungs and she died months later at the age of 55. Mr Wragg then faced a third cancer diagnosis in 2015 following a regular MRI scan which detected a problem in his ribcage. An area of cancerous tissue was successfully removed and he made a speedy recovery.He now remains cancer-free and told how he was delighted to become a father having been warned he may be infertile following all his treatment.
He lives with his wife Sara and their seven-year-old son and daughter who is four."It's been an emotional rollercoaster and there have been some extremely difficult times," he said.However, he said he has "just cracked on" with his treatment and trusted in his doctors."I am lucky to be alive and to have two children which I never thought would be possible," he said.He said there had been "unbelievable progress" in hereditary cancer research work in recent times."If I had been born just a decade earlier then I might not be here now," he said.Cancer Research UK and The University of Manchester are working with researchers from all around the world as part of the International Alliance for Cancer Early Detection.
Dr Emma Woodward, a lecturer at the Manchester University, is focussing on hereditary cancers and how they develop and her team works closely with Mr Wragg due to his genetic history.As part of the research work, Mr Wragg, who has taken part in trials, receives a full body scan annually to ensure he remains disease free.Dr Woodward said the new research was "so exciting" because it was the "first time such global expertise has come together". She said genetic testing was "far more sophisticated and widely available" than even 20 years ago but "we still don't know exactly how that cancer develops and how to detect it early"."If we can improve earlier detection, then we can intervene and ultimately save lives," she said.Dr David Crosby, of Cancer Research UK, added the research work in Manchester will make a "huge difference for future generations".Mr Wragg said he was "up for doing anything I can" to help, and was happy to be a "guinea pig" to for others "including my children" in the future.
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