A dad-of-two who has been left unable to work following major surgery to remove a tumour says he has been unable to secure any financial help during his six-month recovery.

Builder Craig Butler, who lives in Upchurch, was first told he had cancer last July after he noticed a change in his stools.

The 40-year-old said: “A stool sample found that I had high inflammation markers.

“I’d also lost about half a stone unintentionally, so they sent me to the bowel cancer department at Medway Maritime Hospital.”

A scan found that he had two tumours – one on his kidney and another bigger one on the head of his pancreas.

He was referred to King’s College Hospital in London, where a biopsy found he had neuroendocrine tumours – a rare tumour that can develop in many organs of the body.

He underwent a whipple procedure on December 4, a complex operation that involves removing the head of the pancreas, and spent nine days in hospital.

Craig, who grew up in Chatham explained: “They cut right across my abdomen right through the tissue. They told me it is one of the more major abdominal surgeries you can have.

“I was then basically on house arrest and couldn’t do anything. I wasn’t allowed to lift anything more than a half-filled kettle.

“I couldn’t cuddle or pick up my children, and they weren’t allowed to jump on me at all.”

Craig, who is a self-employed builder, applied for personal independence payment (PIP) before his surgery but says he was told he was not eligible.

He explained: “I work a very physical job, so there was no chance I’d be able to work afterwards, and the recovery time is at least six months.

“In January, I got a reply saying I’d been declined because I didn’t meet their criteria. I’ve re-applied but it could take up to 16 weeks to hear back.

“Because my partner is part-time employed, and she started renting her property out when she moved in with me which is only just covering the mortgage, they won't give me Universal Credit either.”

He added: “I just need a little help now, and as soon as I’m able to go back to work it won’t be an issue.

“I’ve tried all avenues to get anything from the government and so far I’ve had the door slammed on me every single time.

“At the beginning, it wasn’t too stressful because I worked and saved as much as I could, but it has now been five months after the surgery and money runs out quick.”

Craig is still continuing to recover from the whipple procedure and says that while some days he feels okay, on others he is left bedridden.

He will need additional surgery on his kidney to remove the other tumour and is waiting to hear back about whether or not he has von hippel-lindau (VHL) syndrome – a rare, inherited disorder that increases the risk of developing tumours in multiple organs.

The dad, who has a four-year-old daughter Florence and a three-year-old son Arthur, with his partner Kay Sumner, 41, says the hardest part of his diagnosis has been the financial issues.

He explained: “The physical side of it I can deal with but for me as a hard-working man, it's been difficult.

“That’s what upsets me the most, not being able to provide fully and having that worry of my children’s nursery fees and things like that.

“My priority is the children and paying our bills – that’s the main thing that’s stressing me out.

“I had serious back surgery around five years ago, then Covid hit, then we had two young children, and as soon as I thought things would start to get better I got hit with cancer. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind.

“It's just a lot of additional stress that you don’t need at a stressful time in your life. I feel like I’m having to beg for support.”

Last October, Craig’s brother did a 31-mile charity walk to raise funds for the family. He set up a Gofundme page which raised more than £8,000. Donations can still be made here.

His friend Paul Campbell has organised a charity day at Chatham FC on Saturday with collection tins and a raffle.