A Northumberland cancer survivor who tragically lost his wife on his birthday to the disease is honouring her memory.

Gordon McIntosh, 88, from Ovingham, was married to his wife Ann for over 60 years until her death in May 2019 from oesophageal cancer. They met while Gordon was working as a chemist at Proctor and Gamble on Tyneside and where Ann also joined in the works office.

The couple were married in 1958 and were always there for each other during their 61 years of marriage, including when Gordon was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001. Gordon underwent 37 rounds of radiotherapy, completing his last session on his birthday, wearing celebratory Union Jack underpants to mark the occasion.

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Gordon, who had two children with Ann and two grandchildren, said: “I was so fortunate that my treatment was successful and I coped very well with it, even being able to keep swimming throughout. I have been monitored for the past 22 years and I have daily tablets to keep my prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels under control.”

Sadly though this wasn’t the last time the couple faced a cancer diagnosis. In July 2018 Ann was diagnosed with advanced cancer of the oesophagus, after experiencing severe indigestion.

Gordon said: “The cancer wasn’t operable and the only treatment option for Ann was radiotherapy. But this wasn’t enough to stop the cancer and just a few months later Ann died at home, on my birthday in May 2019.”

Gordon believes he owes his life to the work of Cancer Research UK, that was a key player in the development of radiotherapy and has been investigating its use in cancer medicine for nearly a century. He has fundraised for the charity since his diagnosis and is now backing the charity’s cancer plan.

The plan lays out how the next UK Government could help avoid around 930 cancer deaths a year in the North East by 2040 - saving the lives of more people like him and avoiding deaths like Ann.

Ahead of the next general election, Cancer Research UK has published Longer, better lives: a manifesto for cancer research and care that outlines five key missions to speed up progress in preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer.

Thanks to research, cancer survival in the UK has doubled since the 1970s. But the charity warned that with NHS cancer services in crisis and with rising numbers of new cancer cases - around an estimated 23,000 a year projected in the North East by 2040 - this hard-won progress is at risk of stalling.

The charity says the UK still lags behind comparable countries when it comes to cancer survival, it said, and called on all political parties to make cancer a top priority in their party manifestos.

It says whoever assumes office after the general election must commit to developing a 10-year cancer plan. Urgent action is also required to address a more than £1 billion funding gap for research into cancer over the next decade, that will put hard-won medical advances at risk.

Cancer Research UK also called for: the introduction of measures to end cancers caused by smoking; improved early detection of cancer through initiatives including a lung screening programme; action to ensure cancer wait time targets are met; and the establishment of a National Cancer Council - accountable to the Prime Minister - to drive cross-government action on the disease.

Gordon understands the vital importance of cancer investment more than most. That’s why he’s urging people across the region to sign an open letter to party leaders at cruk.org/letter.

He’s determined that politicians get the message that beating cancer is vitally important to voters and says the next general election needs to be a turning point for people affected by the disease.

Gordon said: “Research into better treatments has given me the greatest gift - more time with my loved ones– all moments that were hard to imagine when I got my cancer diagnosis. But I’ve also seen the damage cancer can do to a family and miss my wife Ann every day.

“That’s why I’m backing Cancer Research UK’s manifesto. I simply wouldn’t be here without the scientists and the incredible NHS staff who treated me.

“There are so many pressures at the moment with funding and the state of cancer services across England, but the politicians must make sure that people affected by cancer don’t pay the price for this now and in the future. We all need to get behind this manifesto and have our voices heard.”