Curtis Perry celebrated his 45th birthday in a low-key way: brunch, and time with the family.

He and his wife Rebecca have made every day count this year.

The Argus Optical optometrist was told in January that he had an aggressive and rare form of cancer of the appendix.

Doctors have told him he probably doesn’t have much time left, as the disease is progressing quickly.

“The diagnosis came as a tremendous shock,” said Mr Perry, who is originally from Canada. “I knew something was wrong, but I never imagined it was malignant cancer.”

He’s lost more than 40 pounds in less than two months. Medication helps his frequent pain, and Agape House is providing necessary care.

His great concern is his family’s welfare after he’s gone; his thoughts constantly return to the insurance policy he never bought.

He and his wife determined it was an unnecessary luxury when they moved to Bermuda two years ago with their sons Andrew, 9, and Stuart, 7. “We were young,” he said. “I was eating right and exercising. I was doing everything right.”

It’s a decision he now regrets.

“I want to make sure everything is as comfortable as possible for my family,” he said. “That is the priority that takes up everything for me. We have been existing on one income for the last two years. My wife has been home schooling our sons. I haven’t been able to work in the last month-and-a-half, so already we are feeling the pinch.”

Friends stepped in to help. More than $6,500 has been raised to help the Perrys with their expenses. Mrs Perry has also truly appreciated the kindness of their neighbours in Spanish Point.

“We’ve had lots of adventures together,” she said.

“In terms of our relationship, I have no regrets. We have always tried to spend as much time together as possible.

“Knowing that people are thinking of us and praying for us is really nice. We are so grateful.”

Mr Perry started having abdominal pain in October but it wasn’t until after an emergency appendectomy in January that doctors found he had cancer.

“The cancer came on suddenly,” he said. “It had spread throughout my abdominal cavity.”

He was told that radiation and chemotherapy might prolong his life for a few weeks but the quality of his life would be compromised.

Mr Perry wanted to enjoy his family in the little time he had left — the decision was a no-brainer.

“In order to maintain my quality of life as much as possible I wasn’t going to bother with chemotherapy and radiation,” he said. “It wasn’t really a hard decision to make.”

The Perrys met while in university in Canada in 1995 and have been married for 15 years. They lived in Scotland for ten years before moving here in 2014. Bermuda’s their only hope for healthcare as they’re no longer residents of Canada.

“Here we have somewhere to live and have medical care,” he said. “So our plan is to stay here.”

Doctors are still tinkering with his pain medication, but the Perrys are hoping that when the dosage is right, he will be able to spend more time at home than at Agape House.

His sons enjoy simple things such as hearing him read a bedtime story.

The couple have been honest with the boys about their father’s condition.

“We want to make sure there is always really strong trust between us,” said Mr Perry.

“We always want to make sure we have that trust bond.

“We have tempered this to make sure we are not freaking them out or overloading them with too much, but we wanted to make sure there wouldn’t be any terrible surprises.”

In the meantime, he’s trying to live each day to the fullest.

“I have changed my diet and I am going through nutritional therapy to stay strong,” he said. “I’m looking forward to finding out what is on the other side.”