NI chef Stephen Jeffers on backing festive charity appeal after being given a 'a second chance at life by God' following throat cancer

​Stephen Jeffers, 56, is supporting Tearfund's new Christmas Appeal in conjunction with SPAR, who are matching every £1 donation raised by shoppers up to £350,000, meaning an incredible £700,000 could go towards people living in extreme poverty around the world.

The well-known chef, who runs Forestside Cookery School in Belfast, said he is backing the charity’s Breaking the Cycle of Poverty of campaign after being given a “second chance at life by God”.

"I just want to make a difference in people’s lives because I’ve got mine back,” said Stephen, who is also keen to raise awareness of throat cancer and to encourage people to be persistent if they notice something isn’t right with their health.

During the pandemic in 2021 the chef, who lives in Donaghadee, noticed a ‘raisin-sized’ lump on the outside of his throat.

"I went to my GP and basically the lump was dismissed as probably a ‘little blocked gland’ and nothing to worry about,” said the father-of-two.

However, six months later Stephen was still feeling very unwell and had developed sleep apnoea (when breathing stops and starts during sleep).

"I was snoring a lot and breathing was very hard. Because of the pandemic we were having to wear masks, which I hated because I couldn’t breathe. So I went back to the surgery and saw another doctor, who suggested I get a scan. But the scan never appeared, I had no letter or doctors calling. Nothing.”

Stephen added: “I was then doing an event and I noticed that I had broken out in this really bad rash from head to toe – I subsequently learned the rash was a cancer rash.”

Determined to find out what was causing the rash, Stephen visited his GP surgery for a third time.

“This time a doctor told me to change my washing powder and detergents, but I later learned that by then I had Stage 3 cancer.”

After falling asleep at the wheel of his car one night with sleep apnoea, Stephen’s wife Lisa decided to make a private medical appointment for him.

"Within five minutes I was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer,” said Stephen.

“There was a tumour right over my throat. I was breathing through the size of a pencil head. The consultant said I if I had left it another few months I would have been dead.”

Stephen’s was referred to the Royal Victoria Hospital where he was told he was on the verge of Stage 4 throat cancer.

“I had to break the news to my two daughters. There were a lot of tears, of course, but I said no matter what happens, I'm going to fight it. I broke the news to my church on the Sunday and they all prayed for me."

After a series of scans it transpired there were two tumours in Stephen’s tonsils.

"When they looked further they found two more cancers in my right-hand cheek, which were completely unrelated cancers."

He was referred to the Cancer Unit at Belfast City Hospital for treatment and has nothing but praise for the “amazing staff” there.

"The first operation was to remove my tonsils, but they couldn’t because it was too close to my main artery and if they touched that I was told I could die on the operating table.”

The chef, who endured months of surgeries, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, was fed through a peg in his stomach for nine months and suffered burning on his neck from the radiation, admits it was an emotionally challenging time.

"I had a few really dark days, but I had a great support network around me, lots of people praying for me and sending me lovely messages.”

Since getting the all-clear last December, Stephen has been invited to various churches to share his story of cancer survival and give hope to others, adding he knows he’s “one of the lucky ones”.

“When I went to the Royal one of the doctors said to me ‘Stephen, because you listened to your own body, you pretty much saved your own life’.”

His advice to others with health concerns is this: “When a doctor tells you there’s nothing wrong with you, but if you feel any lumps anywhere that shouldn’t be there, or a mole that's swollen or something that's unusual in your body, get it checked out. I’m not a fan of private healthcare because I believe we pay our taxes and should be treated on the NHS, but if you don't like what they're telling you and you can afford it, go for a private consultation, mine was about £180.”

Stephen, who got the all-clear from cancer last December, said he is passionate about helping families thrive through food security.

“It breaks my heart that around the world, families are having to travel so far in search of the very basics. That's why I'm delighted to be supporting Tearfund's Christmas Appeal this year, helping to break the cycle of poverty for families around the world. Please give what you can.”

*Break the Cycle of Poverty is now live, with donation boxes in SPAR, EUROSPAR, ViVO and ViVOXTRA stores throughout NI until January 31, 2025. Shoppers can also donate online and find out more via tearfund.org/spar.