A 20 year-old Shrewsbury man has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer which has been growing since he was conceived – just six years after his younger sister won her fight with the disease.
Steven King, of Oadby Way in Bicton Heath, was diagnosed with a form of testicular cancer three weeks ago and has already started chemotherapy treatment at Birmingham’s 
Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
The disease started developing while he was a foetus growing inside his mother’s womb, and the tumour is growing on his chest.
It’s the second time the family has had to face up to the disease after Steven’s younger sister Kirsty was found to have a suprasellar mass on her brain which originated from a rogue ovary cell when she was just eight.
Kirsty, now 15, was given the all clear six years ago but her pituitary gland was damaged and she is still receiving hormone replacement treatment.
Steven joined his colleagues at McDonalds in Meole Brace in a sponsored headshave on Saturday, which saw all five lose their locks raising more than £700 for Cancer Research UK.
Steven, who lives with Kirsty and parents Gary and Joanna and who has another sister Emily, said: “I felt tired all the time and I had a bad chesty cough. I went along to the doctors and had some chest X-rays and that’s when this showed up.
“Even though I’m not at work at the moment I’m keeping in touch with all my friends, and all the guys I have worked with who took part in the headshave are close friends.
“Another important thing is that my dad will be able to stay with me in hospital while I’m receiving treatment - there will always be someone there with me and that helps a lot.”
Steven’s mum Joanna said: “It’s very rare for this to happen at all, but for it to happen to two children in the same family is almost unheard of. We’ve been told to stay positive by the doctors.”
Bob Beckett, franchise owner at McDonalds in Meole Brace, said: “Steven has been the most positive guy I have ever seen in this situation, and we are rallying around him to help get him better and back to work in the new year.”
By Peter Kitchen