Joe Till, 33, from Lancaster, was eventually diagnosed with stage four diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, an aggressive form of blood cancer, after his leg pain was initially treated as sciatica
A dad-of-four who was told his excruciating leg pain was sciatica has died, after his symptoms proved to be signs of an aggressive cancer.
Joe Till, 33, made repeated visits to walk-in centres reporting pain in his leg – only to subsequently learn he had stage four diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, an aggressive type of blood cancer. The dedicated gym enthusiast and hiking lover, from Lancaster, was ultimately told there was nothing further the NHS could offer and that he might only have months left to live.
Joe died on May 17 following his fight with cancer. A fundraiser set up to support his wife and four children has now collected more than £13,500. His funeral is scheduled to take place on May 29.
Joe first realised something was seriously amiss after experiencing pains in his leg in 2024. He said: “I was getting pains in my leg and was up and down to walk-in centres. They told me it was sciatica but one day I found I couldn’t walk upstairs,” reports Lancs Live.
Joe was diagnosed with cancer in July 2024 before facing months of punishing treatment. He subsequently lost mobility from the shoulders down throughout the ordeal.
Despite phases where his condition seemed to stabilise during treatment, the cancer came back. On February 9, Joe was informed there was nothing further the NHS could provide.
A fundraiser was established to help cover private therapies while attempting to secure his family home for his wife and children. Announcing his death on the fundraiser page, Joe’s family said: “It is with broken hearts that we share that our brave Joe sadly passed away on 17.05.2026. He fought with incredible strength and courage right until the very end.
“Joe’s wish was for his life to be celebrated. He always said he didn’t want people wearing black or for the day to be full of sadness he wanted a big celebration, just like the amazing person he was.
“Thank you again for all of the love and support shown to Joe, his wife, children and all of our family during this incredibly difficult time. We know how loved he truly was.”
To show your support for Joe’s family, you can visit the GoFundMe page here. More than £13,700 has already been raised towards the £30,000 target from 471 donations.
