A Wirral father is trying to keep family life as normal as possible after being told his cancer is now terminal. Christopher Capstick, 41, is holding onto everyday moments like school runs and family plans while living with a life-limiting diagnosis.
The family's world changed after something minor turned out to be a red flag. Christopher says a lump appeared on his back after a holiday in Greece in 2022, which he thought was an insect bite. Over six months he visited his GP as it changed colour and size, and was told it was a cyst until it was removed. He was diagnosed with melanoma cancer in March 2023.
Coping with a terminal prognosis
The charity worker from Wirral is back on monthly immunotherapy after the cancer spread to his brain. He says the hardest part is the mental strain of staying strong for his three children, Isabella, Mila and Nylah. For a short time he was cancer-free at the start of 2025, and the family planned trips and new memories. But weeks before a trip to Florida, he became seriously unwell. Scans revealed six tumours on his brain and six elsewhere, and he was given a terminal prognosis of 12 months.
Despite the shock, Christopher says he is determined to keep moving forward for his daughters. "I'm quite positive, I don't feel like I'm dying. I have three young kids and that's a massive motivation for me. It's what drives me to get to a stage where all my kids remember who I am. It feels like more of a mental battle rather than a physical battle."
Daughter writes 'Daddy's Little Monsters'
The family tried to find the right way to talk to the children about what was happening. Christopher says six-year-old Isabella ended up writing a story to help others living with a seriously ill parent, after they struggled to find clear guidance. "We couldn't find the words, and there was no guidance out there to discuss it with your kids. I said we needed a storybook, and my wife and Isabella ran with that. It doesn't mention cancer in the book, but it explains it in a way that kids can understand."
The family's aim is to help other children feel less alone when illness affects the home. Fundraising is under way to put copies of Daddy's Little Monsters into cancer support centres and hospitals where families often go for help.
