RAF veteran given just months to live shares incredible update two years later

RAF Group Captain Philip “Pip” Harding, diagnosed with stage-four brain cancer and given six to 12 months to live, says he is doing well more than two and a half years later. His update highlights the uncertainty of his prognosis and the support he received from family, friends and RAF colleagues as he pursued treatment.

Harding was diagnosed in March 2024 while serving in Hawaii, after scans found two large tumours. He underwent a nine- to ten-hour operation, followed by six weeks of radiotherapy and chemotherapy; about 420 RAF colleagues later gathered at RAF Benson for a farewell, fearing he had little time left. A specialist treatment was found weeks afterwards, with fundraising helping to pay for it alongside his existing cancer treatment, and he now has MRI scans every three months.