A man who survived cancer twice almost 60 years ago is raising money to help tackle the illness that almost took his life.

Eric Watts, 70, was treated for neuroblastoma, a spinal tumour that spread to his lungs, in 1960 at the age of only 12, and then he was diagnosed with cancer again when he was 14.

After having successful treatment, Watts went on to become a doctor and worked as a consultant at Basildon Hospital between 1989 and 2012.

Since then, Dr Watts has been fundraising for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

He is now raising money to provide specialist units for teenagers with cancer and for specialist nurses to help them during and after treatment.

Dr Watts said: “After treatment, I took up a career in medicine and it has been wonderful to see how much progress has been made.

“When I was treated, only six per cent survived- now it’s over 60 per cent but the treatment is tough and thanks to the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) we can now help and support people through the illness and help them to recover.

“Young people with cancer face many problems - especially as most cancer patients are older and teenage patients often feel alone when there is no-one else of their age in the ward.

“Without the TCT units you are either treated on a general ward where everyone else is probably 50 years older or on a paediatric unit with small children – either way you stand out and feel isolated. This is why TCT is so important in helping teenage patients realise they are not alone and there are others, like them, who have come through and regained full health.”

Dr Watts, who lives in Brentwood, has been active since retiring from Basildon Hospital, and has done 20 marathons in a quest to raise money for a cause close to his heart.

If you would like to donate money to Dr Watt’s cause, then you can do through his JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/eric.watts8. The Teenage Cancer Trust has also said that Dr Watts is one of the oldest survivors of teenage cancer.