A Nottingham based Chartered Surveyor has defied the odds after a five year battle with testicular cancer, to become an Equity Director of a leading firm.
David Bladen (30) who is an equity director at Musson Liggins Chartered Surveyors, graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2008 and like so many people during the recession, struggled to find work. He went to work for free at the Nottingham based firm for a short period and was eventually taken on full-time.
But just a year later (aged 24), he was diagnosed with three types of testicular cancer, the illness spread to the lymph nodes in his back and after surgery he had concerns that getting back to work and starting a family could become problematic.
David underwent four grueling cycles of chemotherapy at Nottingham City Hospital and because his illness was curable and he was young and otherwise fit and well, David was given a considerably higher dosage of chemotherapy in comparison to anyone else on his ward, which kept him signed off work for six months.
David said: “Obviously it was a very difficult time for me and my family but I have never wanted to focus on my illness too much or use it for sympathy.
“After five years of check ups and scans, I was given the all clear in April this year. For me however, I prefer to remember that in those five years, I became a Chartered Surveyor, got married to my wife Natalie and had defied the odds yet again to have two beautiful children, Darcey, aged two and Alfie who is nine months old.”
April was a fantastic month for David, after being given the all clear; he joined Steve Musson, Matthew Liggins and Graham Parkinson to become an Equity Director at Musson Liggins who specialise in commercial property valuation, advice and agency predominantly throughout the East Midlands.
David, who studied Planning & Property Development, added: “I always wanted to run my own business and becoming an Equity Director was a massive commitment from me, which in turn has given me even more desire to do well personally and for the company.
“The last few years have taught me that no matter what life throws at you, if you work hard and are committed, you can be successful. Since becoming an Equity Director, I now have excellent job security which is so important when it comes to looking after my greatest success of all, my family.”
Whilst battling adversity to bounce back professionally during his illness, David also organised a number of charity events including a charity football match to raise over £20,000 for Theo’s Fund (Two year old Theo Gilman suffered from Ewing’s Sarcoma and required treatment in America). Theo’s Fund also paid for TVs and DVD players for the Children’s Cancer Ward (E39) at the QMC with money also being donated to CLIC Sargent. Musson Liggins also sponsored a charity Rugby 7’s tournament at Trent College, organised by David, to raise money for the Oncology Department at Nottingham City Hospital.
