Dad retired as soon as daughter got cancer diagnosis - then he got cancer too

Dad retired as soon as daughter got cancer diagnosis - then he got cancer tooDavid and Leanne ended up having chemo and cancer surgery at the same timeCommentsNewsNeil Shaw Assistant Editor (Money and Lifestyle)07:39, 13 Apr 2026View 7 ImagesLeanne and David in hospital.A woman who was treated for cancer at the same time as her dad says they were determined to beat the disease together. Leanne Head had just started her treatment for an aggressive form of breast cancer when her family received more devastating news - her father, David Head, had cancer, too.‌The 46-year-old and her 68-year-old father then underwent chemotherapy at the same time – and even had surgery just a day apart. “We both focused on the end goal, we were determined it wasn’t going to beat us,” said Leanne, who is based in West Yorkshire. “We weren’t ready to give up. We kept up with our mind-over-matter mindset. Even when things got tough, we got each other through it”.‌Leanne, a make-up artist, first noticed a “golf ball-sized” lump in her breast “out of nowhere” while showering and was seen by a doctor the next day. Referred to the breast clinic at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield for an appointment within two weeks, Leanne was diagnosed with breast cancer the same day.‌View 7 ImagesLeanne in hospitalLeanne said: “When I got home and told my dad, we both burst out crying. I couldn’t even process how I would tell my son, who’s 11 years old. His other [paternal] granddad had passed away from cancer the October before I was diagnosed, so I knew he would think the worst.“My dad instantly retired so that he could help me as best he could. At this point, we had no idea that he also was going to be diagnosed in a few weeks’ time.”‌Of the shock of her diagnosis, Leanne said: “I was in total disbelief when I was officially diagnosed – I had no idea that it would be confirmed that very same day as my hospital appointment. Even though deep down my gut had told me it was cancer, I still wasn’t prepared.“...