London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 18, 2025

Kensington 'miracle man' beats death after 'months to live' diagnosis

Kensington 'miracle man' beats death after 'months to live' diagnosis

A banker from Kensington has defied all the odds after he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of terminal cancer and told he had just months to live - seven years ago.

Mick May was told in 2013, only aged 54, that he had contracted mesothelioma - a form of lung cancer linked to asbestos exposure.

However, after shocking doctors and surviving the cancer, Mick is now releasing a book seven years on titled, Cancer and Pisces , detailing his remarkable story of survival.

Mick visited his GP in 2013 due to feeling unwell and out of breath.

An X-ray then revealed the extent of his illness and doctors told him he only had months to live with no hope of a cure for his condition.

Mick, a dad-of-six, was at a loss at how he would tell his children the heartbreaking news.


Mick with his six children and wife in 2018


"The realisation following diagnosis comes in a cascade of emotion rather than a bombshell and when the doctor suggested my wife join us, saying something like ‘it’s often better on this sort of occasion’, you think 'good lord, this must really be serious'," Mick said.

He added: “The doctor didn’t beat about the bush and we deduced this was a lung cancer and a serious one.

"Each sentence of his was like a blow to my stomach. You anticipate even more devastating truths to come."

Even though he supposedly he only had a matter of months to live, Mick was still persistent to find out how and where he'd been in contact with the asbestos that caused his cancer.

Although Mick's workplace had undergone extensive workplace in the 1980s which he later found out had exposed him to asbestos, numerous lawyers discouraged him from officially taking his case forward.

However, after coming across a legal asbestos specialist in Joanne Jefferies of Irwin Mitchell, Mick decided to launch an investigation into his asbestos exposure.

“Mesothelioma is a horrible disease and its widespread use in decades previously has left behind a terrible legacy affecting far too many people," Joanne said.

She added: "Mick’s diagnosis was particularly difficult for him to accept given the relatively young age at which he developed the cancer."

With the help of Joanne and her team at Irwin Mitchell, they were able to reach a settlement that brought justice to Mick and proved that his exposure to asbestos was indeed at the investment bank he had joined as a 22-year-old.

With this settlement, Mick was able to afford life saving treatment that defied the devastating prognosis he was originally given.

He was the first mesothelioma patient to receive skin cancer drug, Vismodegib, to treat his condition.


Mick is making sure he lives life to the full


Before his diagnosis, Mick had a life goal of reaching his 60th birthday, a dream that seemed bleak after the life changing diagnosis.

But Mick defied doctors not once but twice when the cancer returned in 2016 to reach his 60th birthday two years later and celebrate with his family.

And now he's releasing his first book detailing his story of survival. It was Mick's friend and cabinet minister, Jonathan Aitken that encouraged him to write the book which will be available on Amazon and all major outlets from August 20.

"Miraculous is a word vastly overused and risks being cheapened in the process, but when you have been called a medical miracle and a miracle man several times to your face, you are forced to ponder a little," Mick said.


The front cover of Mick's new book with the foreword done by Jonathan Aitken


Mick, who also runs a social enterprise, Blue Sky, which has helped employ more than 2,000 ex-offenders, will also donate all the proceeds from the book to Cancer Research UK.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
×