A DAD discovered he had leukaemia on his 44th birthday after he went to his GP complaining of a cold.

Barrow's Steve Yorke, who worked at Oxley Developments in Ulverston, is undergoing 10 weeks of chemotherapy treatment after the shock diagnosis.

His partner Julie Nixon has thanked the Barrow public who have donated towards a fundraising appeal to help to buy a more reliable car so she can visit him in hospital in Blackpool.

“I will never forget what the people of Barrow have done for me and the way people who I don’t even know have supported us," said the 42-year-old.

“They have been absolutely amazing and I just want to thank everybody who has helped because I am so grateful.”

After worrying about a persistent cold, Mr Yorke went to the doctor and was later referred for blood tests.

Receiving the news on his birthday on February 11, he was told he had acute myeloid leukaemia.

He was sent to Blackpool Victoria Hospital for chemotherapy for 10 weeks.

Miss Nixon, a support worker, said: “I urged him to go and see a doctor after he had complained about a cold not going away for a few weeks.

“It was absolutely shocking when we found out.

“We knew he was poorly but it was devastating to be told what it was.

“He was really upset to be hear the news."

The pair have a five-year-old daughter called Eva and live in Ramsden Dock Road on Barrow Island.

“He is gutted that he can now only see his little girl at the weekends. He used to come home to her every day,” said Miss Nixon.

She said she was in constant contact with her partner, calling him '20 to 30 times a day', and that she saw him in hospital three times a week.

She said her partner was making positive progress in his treatment but was suffering with a temperature that made it difficult for him to sleep in hospital.

“The doctors says he has ‘good genes’ and is doing well and might be able to come home for a week soon if he keeps it up," she said.

“Whenever I see him he is always very tired. He has not slept for weeks because he keeps getting hot or getting chills.”

People have rallied behind Miss Nixon in raising money to buy her a new car so she can drive to Blackpool.

Sarah Costa, her friend of more than 30 years, set up an online page after Miss Nixon’s vehicle broke down at Greenodd on the way to see her partner.

The page has smashed the £1,000 target and stands at around £1,600.

Miss Nixon said: “My friend told me if she won the lottery she was going to get me a car.

“I got home and saw the fundraising page. I was quite embarrassed by it but it was a lovely thing to do.”

Visit www.gofundme.com/raise-cash-for-a-new-car-to-visit-yorkie-in-bpoo to donate towards the appeal.