A NEWPORT man who battled two brain tumours has been given news he is clear of them – just in time for him to enjoy Christmas with his family.

Anthony Hard told the Argus that he is looking forward to spending time with his wife Nahella, daughter Reagan and son Casey at home in Coedkernew.

He said: “I’ve been given the all clear.

“So I can concentrate on the children, which will be fantastic.

“Not that we haven’t always – but it’s just a weight off our shoulders.”

Mr Hard was an aircraft engineer in the Royal Air Force and stationed in Afghanistan when he was first diagnosed in 2011.

He twice had to go through a four to five hour awake craniotomy, where he was only given local anaesthetic.

The first time he had the operation the tumour removed was the size of a golf ball.

But he said his treatment at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff was “fantastic”.

Mr Hard said: “This time last year they told me my tumour had come back and this time the year before last I was diagnosed so coming up to Christmas has been bad news after bad news.

“So it’s all good this year. We just got on with it. That’s all you can do, really.

“But with Casey it took our mind off things.”

Casey suffered severe brain damage due to a lack of oxygen and blood supply when he was born in November 2011 and his family have raised thousands of pounds and set up a charity from him, Casey’s Cause.

But Mr Hard said he was not angry at what had happened to him.

“It was just a worry. I try to put on a strong face anyway.

“Everyone does the worrying for me.

“I don’t let things get me down. Worrying won’t make it go away - so what’s the point of worrying?

This Christmas the Hards will be hosting Nahella’s family, who are from Caerleon.

He said: “There will be eight of us – and I’m cooking!”

A six-week course of radiotherapy took its toll once it had finished earlier this year, he said, but a holiday abroad made him feel better.

“It accumulates. You don’t feel it at first but when it’s over it starts catching up with you,” he said.

“I got really got tired.

“I went on holiday with my family to France and I think a bit of sun took it away.

“Nahella wasn’t able to come because Casey wasn’t very well but she told me to go anyway and so I did. She said I came back a changed man. I was refreshed.”

And the Hard family has taken part in charity appeals to raise money for Ty Hafan this year.

As part of the charity’s Christmas appeal, Reagan, 10, has written a letter expressing how much Ty Hafan has helped them. So far the charity appeal has already raised £12,000. For more information on the appeal and the Hards, visit the Ty Hafan web site http://www.tyhafan.org/christmaswish/