A BRAVE father-of-three who grew up in Quarry Bank has told of his life-long battle with terrifying illness, leading to more than 30 operations.

Dan Brookes, aged 31, who was born with a condition called cystic hygroma, which causes fluid-filled sacs to develop and blockages in the lymphatic system, has also endured cancer of the head and neck on and off since he was two.

Now living in Wakefield, where he moved because he is under treatment from Leeds General Infirmary, he is appealing to people who remember him from Quarry Bank, where he grew up in White City Road, to chip in to raise money towards devices he needs to make his life easier.

Surgery has included the removal of half of his tongue, making it hard to eat and swallow, and the loss of all but his top teeth.

He says he "died for 10 minutes" when he was two and had half of his cheek cut off when he was around 11 because it kept swelling up.

He now has a tracheostomy in his neck to help him to breathe and a nasal tube to feed him.

"I'm hardly eating anything and I'm currently having injections on my face, for which I have to be put asleep in theatre, meant to reduce swellings inside and outside my mouth," said Mr Brookes, who lives with his partner, Lisa Cotton, and their children, Jessica, 11, Jake, eight, and Skye, three.

"But when you have them, in the first six weeks the swellings double in size, due to the liquid in the injections, and then it slowly comes down."

He added: "It's a difficult life but knowing I have got children and a partner helps me to pull through.

"In a weird way I'm used to it - I've never known anything different."

Mr Brookes, whose daily medication includes morphine, said that despite his very poor health he goes to work as a shop assistant once a week and carries on "in the most normal way possible" to stop him getting depressed.

To make matters worse, about two years ago, his son Jake suffered 50 per cent burns after a kettle fell on top of him, leading to a series of skin grafts.

Mr Brookes, a former pupil at Quarry Bank Primary School and Thorns Community College, has now set up a funding account - www.gofundme.com/5bjkg3ac - to raise money towards equipment including a suction machine, costing about £800, to stop his airway becoming blocked.

He also hopes to raise enough for a head restraint to put under his pillow as he needs to sleep sitting up.

And he plans to produce an information booklet to help other people with his condition.

So far, more than £1,100 has been pledged and one comment on the page, from Russell Rowe, said: "I grew up living next door to Dan. Cannot imagine what this is like to live with."

"To this day I'm still battling with my help and take each day as it comes," said Mr Brookes, who used to be a care assistant at Beechlawns care home in Wollaston.

"I just hope I'm here to see all my kids fully grow up into adults, as I know one day my health will take a turn for the worse.

"I always try my best and carry on regardless however ill I am."