A young dad has received the devastating diagnosis that he has terminal brain cancer after originally being misdiagnosed with appendicitis.

The first time Joshua Warner knew something was wrong was when he started getting headaches and was suffering from sickness in late June.

It persisted for two weeks so his dad Dave took him to Darent Valley Hospital, in Dartford, for tests and a CT scan where the doctors told him he had appendicitis, despite having no stomach pain.

The 25-year-old went into surgery to have his appendix removed but a few hours after he arrived home he was re-admitted as he was still sick.

Another scan showed an anomaly on his brain but Joshua was told that it was an issue with the machine and he was discharged again.

When he returned with his partner, Tash, on August 4, a doctor discovered opioids in his system and, failing to realise Joshua had been prescribed codeine, accused him of taking illegal drugs.

On yet another visit three days later, his mum Eve Pateman took Joshua to A&E as she was “determined to make them do something” but was told it was for people with life-threatening illnesses.

They asked for an MRI scan and were told his GP would need to refer him but because of his medication, the doctor told Joshua he could not see him for four weeks and he needed to stop taking painkillers.

Eight days later, the dad, to four-year-old Andrew, collapsed in his grandparents’ bathroom.

Joshua, who lives in Crayford, was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Woolwich, where he was given another CT scan but this time something was wrong.

The medics compared the results with those from Darent Valley Hospital and saw that were the same. Fearing he was having mini strokes, they sent the self-employed carpenter for an urgent MRI.

In less than 24 hours, he was told he had a large brain tumour which had spread from the right side of his brain to the back and brain stem and was moved to an oncology ward.

He has been told his tumour is either a glioblastoma or a diffuse midline glioma, also known as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma or brain stem glioma, both of which are highly aggressive forms of brain cancer.

A biopsy will help identify which type of tumour it is and what if any, treatment options are available to him. However, he spent six days at King’s College Hospital, London, waiting to have the surgery.

Eve, from Bexleyheath, added: “He was meant to have a biopsy on Friday but that, and subsequent surgeries, were cancelled. Meanwhile, he has been having multiple seizures every day.

“Getting it done was critical because it would allow us to see what treatment options there are for him, but we were struggling to get it across the line.

“We know he has a large tumour which runs from the front of his head to the back. It is deep, and in his brain stem and spinal cord now. We know he is going to die from this, but we want to give him every single chance.

“He keeps saying ‘I do not think I can go on Mum’ because he feels like no one is fighting for him. We are running out of time.

“He is a 25-year-old guy with a four-year-old son and we have felt like we are just treading water because we have not been getting anywhere.”

Joshua finally had a biopsy yesterday (September 5).

Although the outcome of the tumour would have been the same, Eve says if it had been spotted by medics earlier then Joshua would be a lot further with his treatment than he is now.

She added: “The consultant says if a 25-year-old presents with a constant headache and sickness this should always be treated seriously, so I wonder why no one did at Darent Valley Hospital.

“We knew something was wrong and we feel massively let down by the hospital, the consistent failings are unforgivable. We feel so failed by the system.

“Josh honestly is the strongest person I know. His humour and zest for life are pulling us all through. We love Joshua so much and are absolutely heartbroken to see him like this.

“We need him to come back to us, and we need help to give him the best chance at recovery. The road ahead is not going to be an easy one, but we are encouraged by Joshua’s determination and strength, we refuse to give up hope.”

The family are in the process of filing an official complaint to Darent Valley Hospital.

A spokesman for the Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust said: “We are deeply sorry to hear about Mr Warner's experience while under the care of Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust.

“It is important to us that all patients receive the highest quality of care; we take all concerns very seriously and so we are now in the process of examining this case in greater detail.

“However, we have not received a complaint from Mr Warner and we strongly encourage him to contact us to aid a thorough investigation of his concerns, so that we may take any necessary actions to address them.”

A fundraising page has been set up to help support Joshua while he is out of work and during his treatment at the time of writing it had raised more than £14,000. You can donate here.

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “With one in three people affected by brain tumours, Joshua’s story is, sadly, not unique. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.

“We are determined to change this but it is only by working together we will be able to improve treatment options for patients and, ultimately, find a cure. We hope his story serves as a reminder to medical professionals who have patients presenting with these or similar symptoms.”