A YOUNG father who has been given only months to live is raising money for a charity close to his heart which he says has been “hit hard” due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Adam Gray, 33, from York, was told last July that he had between six to 12 months to live, while his wife was pregnant with the couple’s first child.

He was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer, a rare and incurable tumour that has spread to his lungs, liver and into his lymph nodes.

But that has not stopped him championing charitable causes, and today Adam’s family will be undertaking the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge to raise £5,000 for the Royal Free Charity.

Adam, who is still having to shield at home, added that spending four months of the time he has left quarantining has been “incredibly difficult”, not seeing his family and friends, and that he is grateful to his dad and brother for doing the hike for him.

Adam said: “I desperately want to raise awareness about this cancer because it affects a lot of people and we just don’t have the funding necessary.

“I was completely healthy and never once thought I could be sick.

“If we can get additional funding and research we can spot it earlier and save lives.

“And even if we can just help one other person have a better life and save a single life that would be worth it.”

He added that the charity had been incredibly hard hit by a coronavirus, losing a lot of donations.

He added: “It is incredible that we have already raised close to the £5,000. It’s a testament to understanding how important this charity is.”

Speaking to The Press last year, Adam said he originally felt a pain in his abdomen one day at work, but thought nothing of it.

After undergoing several tests - which came back inconclusive - doctors recommended that he should have an ultrasound test. The results revealed that he had stage four cancer.

He said: “I remember feeling numb and turning to my wife and saying how can this happen?

“I cycle nine miles to work every day and play football and tennis at a high level. One minute I had a pain in my stomach and the next I am being told I don’t have long to live.

“At first I felt devastated, lost and confused. And then angry because I had just married my childhood sweetheart, Chrissy, and she was seven months pregnant.

“We had moved to London with our whole life ahead of us and then to get this news is just heartbreaking.

“But I knew that I had a fight ahead of me to stay in the game as long as possible, and hopefully the treatment, which has shown positive signs in other patients, can help me get better.”

To donate to his cause, visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/adam-gray-3.