Dad believed he was dealing with acid reflux before given devastating diagnosis

It’s easy to brush off heartburn or acid reflux as nothing more than inconvenient—something a pill can fix. That’s exactly how it began for father-of-two Zack Van Aarde. Doctors prescribed medication, reassured him it was routine, and life carried on. At least, that’s what everyone thought.

But in July 2025, everything changed.

In the early morning hours, Zack collapsed on the staircase of his home. His wife, Jess, woke to frantic, heavy breathing—and then the sound no one is ever prepared to hear: her husband vomiting blood.

Rushing to his side, she found him pale, barely conscious. “He’d lost so much blood he couldn’t even stand,” Jess recalled. In a panic, but desperate not to alarm their children, she helped him into a room and called for an ambulance.

At Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, doctors initially suspected a bleeding ulcer. But an endoscopy—where a camera is passed down the throat—revealed a far more terrifying truth: stage four esophageal cancer. A six-centimeter tumor was silently growing inside him.

Only months earlier, Zack had been a fit, active young dad. He worked as an account executive in cyber security, exercised regularly, lived a healthy life. Cancer was the last thing anyone expected.

“It’s been an absolute rollercoaster,” Zack said. “I’ve always tried to stay healthy. It came as a massive shock. Now, I’m just doing everything I can to give myself the best chance.”

Chemotherapy began immediately. Now, every two weeks, he sits through treatment, followed by scans and blood tests to see if the tumor has shrunk—if surgery might one day be possible.

But chemo is brutal. It destroys good cells along with the bad. Wanting to fight with everything he has, Zack began exploring additional therapies not available through the NHS—hyperbaric oxygen sessions, high-dose vitamin C IVs, red light therapy—hoping to help his body recover between chemo cycles.

To help carry them through this fight, Zack and Jess launched a GoFundMe. The donations will cover essential living costs while he cannot work, and the alternative treatments they hope will support his healing.

And Zack isn’t just asking for help—he’s giving something back. For every £10 donated, he has pledged to run one mile, a gesture that symbolizes not only his determination, but his refusal to surrender.

Esophageal cancer is the tenth most common cancer in the world, and often goes undetected until it’s dangerously advanced. Early symptoms—like reflux—are often dismissed or misdiagnosed. By the time it reveals itself, it can already be too late.

Yet despite everything, Zack keeps fighting.

For Jess.
For their children.
For time.

If you’re reading this, take a moment. Think of Zack and his family. Send them strength, hope, a prayer—whatever you can. And if you feel moved to do so, consider supporting his journey. No family should ever face this battle alone.

Let’s show him that he isn’t.