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Dad given months to live after 'spotting something' while on his Greece honeymoon

Chris Capstick, 41, from Bromborough, was diagnosed with stage four melanoma after mistaking a cancerous spot for an 'insect bite' during his Greek holiday he was given just a 15% chance of survival

[Chris, 41, with is daughters, Isabella, six and Mila, 10]

Chris, 41, with is daughters, Isabella, six and Mila, 10(Image: Christopher Capstick / SWNS)

A dad was told he had just months to live after spotting something while on his honeymoon.

Chris Capstick, 41, from Bromborough, discovered what he believed to be an insect bite on his back during his wedding to Lauren, 30, in Greece in 2022. Over the following six months, Chris repeatedly visited his GP surgery as the mark kept altering in appearance.

Medics initially assured him it was a cyst, a circular lump that's typically filled with fluid or pus. These are generally harmless and rarely require treatment, but Chris's case proved different. Speaking to the ECHO, Chris explained: "I got married in Greece and that's when we noticed the 'insect bite'.

[Chris and Lauren Capstick their children with Isabella, Mila and Nylah]

Chris and Lauren Capstick their children with Isabella, Mila and Nylah(Image: Christopher Capstick / SWNS)

"Doctors told me it was a cyst. I went back several times as it changed colour and started to grow, and they kept saying it was a cyst. Then I was in work and it was quite uncomfortable. I got speaking to a colleague who said that her husband had a cyst removed in their GP surgery.", reports the Liverpool Echo.

"So I went back and asked the GP if they could remove it, which they did in February 2023. As soon as they removed it, I think they noticed it wasn't a cyst and sent it off for testing."

Chris was subsequently diagnosed with stage four melanoma, a type of skin cancer. Stage four indicates the melanoma has spread to areas of the body distant from the original tumour and beyond the nearby lymph nodes.

[Isabella, six, with her book]

Isabella, six, with her book(Image: Christopher Capstick / SWNS)

Chris revealed he was given a mere 15% chance of survival, and was with Lauren, who was pregnant at the time, when they received the devastating news. The pair now have three young children together - Isabella, six, Mila, 10, and Nylah, two.

Following his diagnosis, Chris had his lymph nodes removed and underwent 13 months of immunotherapy. He was briefly declared cancer-free at the start of 2025.

However, just six months later, six tumours were discovered on Chris's brain and another six in his body, indicating his cancer was terminal.

Chris shared: "I was given 10 to 12 months to live. It was a massive shock for me and the family. We try to stay positive. I'm trying everything. I'm trying red light therapy, oxygen therapy.

"I've just done a stint in the hospital, just due to some side effects. My liver enzymes are quite high at the moment, so I've not had treatment for two months. We're trying to get them down via steroids. I'm trying to stay positive which is not always easy."

Just over a year after being told he had a year to live, Chris now doesn't know how long he has left.

He said: "I had six tumours on my brain. Five of the tumours have disappeared, there's just one left on my brain now, so something's working, hopefully. At the moment I haven't got a prognosis of how long I can live."

Isabella has penned a children's book, Daddy's Little Monsters, aimed at helping other youngsters grasp the reality of a parent's severe illness. More than 630 has been collected so far to print and distribute the book to cancer centres, hospices and Maggie's Centres throughout the UK.

Chris said: "We really struggled to explain it to all our children. My wife spent some time with Isabella, and she explained that daddy's got monsters in his stomach and planned to use medicine to kill them.

"Then she did some sort of art therapy and created the book over six months and published it via Amazon. To date, we've sold just shy of 300 copies. We've dropped copies in Arrowe Park, Clatterbridge, Maggie's Cancer Centre in Wirral and Lancaster Oncology. It would mean everything (to have the book across the UK). It's my legacy in a way."

You can find out more about the fundraiser here.

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