A defiant project manager who was diagnosed with a rare cancer last month has started a blog to document his journey.

James Kennedy, 22, was shocked to discover he had acinic cell carcinoma of the parotid gland (a salivary gland), just months after doctors had allegedly told him they were confident a lump behind his right ear was non-cancerous.

The former Tabor pupil said the lump first appeared when he was about ten or 11-years-old but had not got much bigger and initially caused him no pain.

By January this year, however, the lump was interfering with facial nerves and causing him huge discomfort whenever he ate.