Father celebrates first Christmas as husband after beating cancer

A father-of-two has described himself as the “luckiest man in the world” as he gets ready to spend his first Christmas as a husband after he received life-saving cancer treatment.

Craig and Kat Devine got married on November 4 in the Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel in their hometown of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire – a venue attached to the Golden Jubilee National Hospital where Mr Devine was treated.

In 2017, Mr Devine was diagnosed with an aggressive form of thyroid cancer, resulting in intensive treatment including the complete removal of his thyroid at the Golden Jubilee.

He had been rushed to hospital in extreme pain after he fell ill.

“I had been unwell for a while, I suffered with unbelievable pain to the point I was passing out, I was really ill,” Mr Devine said.

“I was told I had pneumonia, pleurisy and influenza. I then had a scan to look at the damage to my lungs, that’s when they found the cancer.

“It was hard being away from my family. My son was only three at the time, so it was really difficult trying to explain to him why daddy couldn’t come home.

“I did, however, get to know the staff at NHS Golden Jubilee really well, including my surgeon Alan Kirk. I absolutely adored the man as he had the same sense of humour as me. It felt good to have a laugh.”

Treatment meant it was unlikely the couple could have another child, but they welcomed son Noah in 2021.

In May this year, Mr Devine, 33, received the news that he is cancer-free.

He recalled: “When the nurse told me there was no more cancer, I honestly couldn’t believe it. It is such an overwhelming feeling to know everything we had been through together as a family had been worth it.

“I am the luckiest man in the world to have been given this second chance at life, and I can’t wait to spend it with Kat and our two boys.”

The hospital has played such a huge role in the Devines’ lives that they decided to marry there last month after they had to postpone their wedding date several times.

Thoracic consultant Mr Kirk said: “The thoracic surgical unit here at NHS Golden Jubilee provides a range of surgical procedures for patients with cancer. We’ve performed thousands of surgeries, including over 1,200 robotic procedures.

“Looking after Craig throughout his journey has been a real privilege for our team, and now seeing him fulfil his wishes of a wedding and raising two boys fills me with immense pride in the incredible work we do here.”

Mrs Devine, 29, said: “Having our wedding at the Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel really brought our journey full circle.

“It’s such a special place that means so much to us, and the staff took the time to hear our story and understand the reasons why we chose the hotel as our venue.

“It feels like we can now close this part of our journey, and we look forward to the next chapter.”