A BUILDER'S wife said she was devastated when her husband died only 22 days after being diagnosed with a rare cancer.

John Matula had suffered a persistent cough for weeks but did not think it was serious.

But when he went to see a doctor he was immediately sent to hospital, where it was discovered he had Angioimmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma.

The self-employed builder died on Christmas Eve, aged 56.

His wife, Liz, said: "The doctor at the hospital said he had seen only two cases of that cancer in 20 years.

"It was awful watching him die and knowing we couldn't do anything."

Mrs Matula said: "He got a cough and some flu-like symptoms.

"His eyes were bloodshot as well.

"It was awful. He had never been ill in his life.

"He'd broken bones because he was a brickie but he hardly ever got a cold or the flu.

"When he was diagnosed, I asked the doctor what caused the cancer and he said it was just random.

"I couldn't believe it.

"I ran out of the room in tears – I couldn't cope with it at that moment."

Mr Matula was diagnosed with the cancer – of which only 75 cases are known in Europe – on December 2.

Mrs Matula, who lives in Manor Road, Derby, said: "On the morning he died, I was in bed on my own and I woke up with a jolt. I looked at the clock and it read 4.51am.

"I went back to sleep and then at about 9am I went back to the hospital.

"The nurses told me that he was in a bad way and that he wasn't breathing very well.

They spoke to me outside and they said 'he's going fast'. He died at 4.51pm."

She said that it was a "horrible disease".

"It's a very aggressive disease and it took my husband in three weeks," she said.

"If it could take John, then it can take anyone. John was a big man who exercised in all weathers.

"For those three weeks, he was really positive.

"He would put his thumb up to say that he was all right.

"He was just waiting for someone to bring a miracle – but it never came."

John leaves two sons – Samuel, 22, and Christopher, 28 – and stepdaughter Sarah Lee, 40.

Mrs Matula said: "The children have not handled it very well. My youngest son is devastated.

They were close to John – they've lost their best friend."

Last Saturday's Derby Telegraph reported that a 46-year-old Rolls-Royce worker had died from the same disease.

Like Mr Matula, the only symptom that Steve Kemp, of Spondon, had was a cough.

"I couldn't believe that there was another family in Derby who went through what we did," said Mrs Matula.