THE family of a man diagnosed with FIVE different types of cancer have spoken about his battle in a bid to raise awareness.

Grandfather-of-four Steve Tinsley, 60, has Lynch Syndrome, an inherited disorder that dramatically increases the risk of many types of cancer.

He was tested for the condition after a string of devastating diagnoses. It was news was made all the more heartbreaking as his son and brother have since tested positive for the syndrome.

Now the close-knit family, from Idle, have shared their story.

Steve’s gruelling journey began back in 2011, when he was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Surgery to remove his large bowel and chemotherapy treatment followed, but he was dealt another blow in 2015 when he developed skin cancer.

This was removed from his ear, but in April 2016 he was then diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer. This had already spread to his bones, meaning it was incurable and the only option was another round of chemotherapy to try and keep it at bay.

Then in October 2016, he had a routine CT scan which revealed a lump in his left breast and he had to undergo a mastectomy.

When December came around, Steve was then told he had stomach cancer - his fifth primary cancer - and in January last year had the majority of his stomach removed.

Devastatingly, he was then told his stomach cancer had spread to his right rib. The rarity of this prompted further testing, which revealed Lynch Syndrome, which Steve may have potentially inherited from his mother who died from cancer when she was 61.

Steve, who used to own Bradford business John Breare Printers, is now paralysed from the waist down.

Debbie, Steve’s wife of 36 years, has spoken of the toll the past eight years have taken.

“It’s really hard to explain unless you are in that situation,” she said.

“It’s such an emotional rollercoaster. Every day, you get up and you don’t know how he’s going to be, you just don’t know what he’s going to be like from one day to the next.

“We’re just trying to do something positive each day if we can - he loves to spend time with his grandchildren - and keep going one day at a time.”

The news has been even harder to bear as their son, dad-of-one Matthew, 33, and Steve’s brother Gary have tested positive for Lynch Syndrome. The couple’s daughter Donna, 35, tested negative.

An emotional Debbie, 58, said she was “floored” by the blow.

“I couldn’t believe it, it was devastating, she said. “Even now, when I think about it, it upsets me.

“My mission in life is just to keep Matthew safe. I look at pictures and think ‘I never even knew he had that’.”

It’s bittersweet news for the family to come to terms with.

“Steve has given Matthew a fantastic gift there really,” said Debbie.

“Because he has been screened, he has given Matthew that knowledge that he’s got be aware.”

It’s hoped Steve’s story might help to raise awareness about the condition, something which Deborah and her family say few people know about.

They have decided not to ask what the long-term prognosis is, instead taking each day as it comes.

“That’s just the kind of way we look at it now,” Debbie said. “That’s the way we cope.

“He’s got such a fighting spirit, he really has, he’s come through so much.”

There was hope he could try immunotherapy, but efforts through the NHS were unsuccessful and the family now don’t believe they can go down the private route.

Around £21,000 was raised to try and make this happen, but some will now be donated to Marie Curie, which has offered invaluable support to Steve, and a Lynch Syndrome charity.

And while the family has asked if people would like their money back, in a touching response, they say they have been told to make memories.

Steve said he felt “humbled” by the outpouring of support.