A COUPLE face spending their last Christmas together with their four-year-old son – after both being diagnosed with cancer just months apart.

Heather and Jason Brinkerhoff are trying to make life as normal as possible for Lucian as they separately fight aggressive forms of the disease.

Jason, from California, was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer in May 2018 and had emergency surgery to remove a large tumour.

Just months later, in January this year, they were delivered another blow when Heather discovered she had pancreatic cancer.

The couple have both had multiple surgeries and chemotherapy treatments in a bid to halt the disease and watch their son grow.

Heather, a personal trainer, told ABC7: "We kind of know what our prognoses are. But we choose to stay off the internet for our sanity. We know it's fairly grim for both of us, we're not ignorant to that."

Holding onto hope

Jason, an artist, is on a clinical trial of drugs which he hopes will extend his life expectancy.

Heather has undergone over six months of aggressive chemo and has had surgery to remove her tumour.

But recent blood tests revealed an increase in her cancer antigen level and her doctor has confirmed that the latest chemo drugs haven't worked.

Writing on GoFundMe, Heather said: "Obviously it’s not the news we were hoping to hear and are sad. Just sad.

"We knew after my surgery that there was cancer in about 1/3 of the lymph nodes removed, so it didn’t come as a total shock, but we hoped the chemo would be more effective this time around."

She has been given a chemo break over the Christmas period, after docs told her there was "no need to keep pummelling you for nothing".

Christmas memories

Heather said: "That means we get to have a semi-normal Christmas without me feeling so crummy.

"Last year at this time I was in and out of the hospital so much I didn’t put up any decorations and felt so bad for my son that he was missing out on the magic of it all.

"I couldn’t let Lucian’s last Christmas memory be a Minion-coloured mum from my severe jaundice.

"Needless to say, I’m so grateful that we’ll be able to make some family memories and start some new traditions this year.

I couldn’t let Lucian’s last Christmas memory be a Minion-coloured mum from my severe jaundice

"So despite the bad cancer news, we feel so lucky that I’ll get about two months of feeling a little better and have more energy.

"I’ll go back after the new year for more blood work and scans and the doctor and I will make a new plan."

Jason said their son understands that his parents are sick, but thinks his mum has a pain in her stomach and his dad has a pain in his head.

He told ABC7: "He and I were playing the other day and he goes, 'Daddy I miss you'. And I just chose in that moment to take those words as a future gift – that there will be a day when I won't be able to hear those words from my son.

"So now when I hear him say, 'I miss you,' it's something that will be special to me. Almost a voice from the other side, because I won't last forever."

With medical bills piling up, they recently had to abandon renovation work on their small two-bed home.

The 12 signs of pancreatic cancer you need to know…

Pancreatic cancer is known as the silent killer because it's hard to diagnose early – it does not cause any signs or symptoms at the early stages.

That's why it's so important to be aware of the symptoms to look for as soon as they start.

The most common symptoms to look out for include:

• tummy pain
• back pain
• unexplained weight loss
• indigestion
• loss of appetite
• changes to bowel habits: This includes steatorrhoea (pale, smelly stools (poo) that may float), diarrhoea (loose watery stools) or constipation (problems opening your bowels)
• jaundice: The most common signs of jaundice are that your skin and white of your yellow. It also causes dark urine, pale stools and itchy skin
  difficulty swallowing: Some people can find it difficult to swallow food, or might cough or choke when they eat, bring food back up or feel that food is stuck in their throat
• recently diagnosed diabetes: The pancreas produces insulin, which helps to control the amount of sugar in the blood. Cancer can stop it from working properly, meaning it might not produce enough insulin and cause diabetes
• extreme tiredness (fatigue)
• feeling unusually full after food
• blood clots in a vein

But incredibly, friends and family members in their community have rallied around to help get the job done in time for Christmas.

Posting on their fundraising page, the couple said: "Just wanted to share how excited we are to be in our house. We’re so grateful for you, our amazing community, who has made this dream possible during these difficult 18 months. Thank you doesn’t even begin to cover it."

They are continuing to fundraise on GoFundMe to cover their medical costs as well as Lucian's pre-school fees.

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