A former teacher who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer is battling his condition by designing and building a 1950s-style race car.
Neil Buxton was diagnosed with late stage cancer after being rushed to hospital on Christmas Eve 2012, and was told by doctors that he could have as little as three years left to live.
However, more than three years later and 66-year old from the Cairngorms in Scotland is still going strong, after dedicating himself to constructing his own racing car.
Having owned various classic cars in the past, Mr Buxton reportedly got the idea to build a project car of his very own after overhearing a conversation at the hospital.
Speaking to the BBC, he said: “There were two cancer patients of a similar age to me and they were talking about all the cars they had owned over the years.
“I then had this idea that I wanted to build a car. I had this idea for car of a design similar to the distinctive shapes of racing cars of the 1950s.”
The project wasn’t started until late in 2013 as he previously struggled to walk thanks to the cancer’s effect, but the car – dubbed the Scot Special – is now finished and passed its first MOT this month.
Built on the chassis of an old Triumph Spitfire, Mr Buxton used his skills as a former art teacher to design the vehicle, and created the bodywork from bits of old washing machines.
Although in the early stages he could only manage half an hour of work a day, Mr Buxton said that as his strength increased, he was able to work up to three hours in a day.
Dr Neil McPhail, Mr Buxton’s consultant, encouraged him to share his story to inspire others, and claims that working on the car has helped him vastly improve his quality of life.
The doctor said: “This shows that men who have advanced prostate cancer can still have some of the best years of their lives ahead of them. It also shows the importance of keeping active and busy when the cancer is under good control.”
Mr Buxton, who continues to receive hormone therapy every four weeks, added: “The cancer is still there, and it will still get me, but working on the car has helped to keep it at bay.”
