Dying patient who spent the lot is told: we made a mistake

When doctors broke the news to John Brandrick that he was dying of cancer, he resolved to live as if there were no tomorrow.

He quit his job, stopped paying the mortgage, enjoyed slap-up meals with his partner night after night and spent a fortune on hotels. He splashed out on his family, took impromptu day trips and gave his clothes away to charity. He even arranged his own funeral.

Then, after a year of the high life, Mr Brandricks symptoms began to disappear. The hospital informed him that, actually, he was not suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer but nonfatal pancreatitis.

The 62-year-old grandfather from Newquay, Cornwall, was ecstatic. Then reality dawned on him. Having blown his life savings on what were supposed to be his final months, he will now be forced to sell his £300,000 house.

Mr Brandrick first went to Treliske Hospital in Cornwall suffering from jaundice, but scans revealed a 7cm (3in) tumour. After a series of tests, he was told that he had cancer.

He said: I was told certainly, by the doctor, that I had cancer and from that day I lived life in full. I was told I had limited time to live and go out and enjoy myself.

I got rid of everything my car, my clothes, everything. I just kept a suit, shirt and tie to be buried in. I didnt need clothes because Id only had six months to live.

He planned his funeral to spare his family the trouble. I arranged my funeral with my solicitor. I went to him and said, Look, Im dying and I want to sort everything out.

Mr Brandricks partner had counselling to help her to adjust to his apparently imminent death. The hospital arranged palliative care and referred him to a Macmillan nurse to help him through his last days.

Mr Brandrick is now seeking compensation for the misdiagnosis. He claims that it has left his life in ruins and he is having counselling for the ordeal.

He said: I am seeking compensation for what we have lost and to help everyone out at Treliske [Hospital] so they dont have to go through what I did. All I would say to these people is to knock on the door and ask for a second opinion.

The hospital denies negligence. A spokesman for Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust said: The diagnosis of pancreatic cancer was based on the outcome of a series of investigations and the symptoms that Mr Brandrick was experiencing early in 2005. While we do sympathise with Mr Brandricks position, clinical review of his case has not revealed that any different diagnosis would have been made at the time based on the same evidence.

The NHS Litigation Authority has agreed that there is no clear evidence of negligence in Mr Brandricks treatment. Mr Brandrick has begun legal proceedings and would need to continue these if he wishes to pursue a claim.