Terminally ill man, 48, celebrates ‘death party’ and tells cancer ‘kiss my a**e’

Russ Pegrum, 48, opted out of chemotherapy so he could feel well enough to enjoy his last months (Picture: SWNS)

A terminally ill man who may not make it to March has told cancer to ‘kiss his a**e’ by holding his own wake.

Russ Pegrum, 48, spent Saturday night partying with 120 friends and family as part of his mission to make the most of the time he has left.

The former factory worker was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2018. He went into remission in March but the disease returned three months later.

Russ eventually made the decision to opt out of chemotherapy in September so he would not suffer from the treatment’s side effects during his last days.

Without regular hospital sessions, Russ was left ‘starring at the walls at home’ in Waltham Abbey, Essex.

But after being told he may not make it to his next birthday in March, Russ decided to start working through his bucket list.

So he invited dozens of loved ones, including old school friends he had not seen for years, to his own ‘death party’.

The invitation read: ‘There once was a man called Russ. He didn’t like making a fuss. Cancer would take him. But never could break him. Cos cancer could kiss his a**e.’

Some 120 guests showed up in fancy dress and enjoyed a night of dancing, pizza and beer.

Russ said: ‘It was a great night, I’m so glad we did it. I told everyone that they were there because I loved them and they’d given me a memory for the rest of my life.

‘I had a lot of drunk people coming up to me to give me a hug and a kiss. The party was supposed to end at midnight but it went on until 1.30am. I did a lot of sleeping the next day, I was quite tired!’

But Russ made sure the celebration helped others too, raising £1,200 for local charities Edie‘s Kindness Project and Through the Fight Foundation.

Despite needing a wheelchair to travel long distances, Russ is determined to keep ticking things off his bucket list.

Next up is a skywalk tour of Tottenham Hotspurs’ stadium with his family on Thursday.

Russ said: ‘Since quitting chemo I’ve learnt to enjoy my life. These have been among the happiest months of my life.’

He has even made sure things will continue to be just how he likes them after he is gone by planning every detail of his funeral.

He said: ‘Planning a funeral is a fairly unusual experience but it’s given me peace of mind.

‘I’ve picked out the coffin and music, and written my own eulogy. I found it quite enjoyable really.’

Russ has even started planning his own funeral so everything is ‘exactly how he likes it’ (Picture: SWNS)

Some 120 people went to Russ’s party on Saturday night (Picture: SWNS)

Credit: metro.co.uk