A PATIENT who has "had enough of being ill" has ordered doctors not to revive him when his poor health leaves him fighting for life.

And 49-year-old David Jackson said he would have "do not resuscitate" tattooed on his chest if health chiefs refuse him the right to die.

Today father-of-13 from Sunnyhurst Road, Blackburn, said he would sue the NHS if he was brought back to life.

The Voluntary Euthanasia Society said Mr Jackson had every right to refuse treatment under law.

Unemployed Mr Jackson is undergoing tests for suspected testicular cancer, had a double hernia operation last year and suffers from asthma and crippling arthritis.

He uses a nebuliser to help him breathe.

He has requested a "Do Not Attempt Resuscitation" order from hospital chiefs but the final decision lies with the consultant.

He said: "I will not be revived, if they revive me they will be sued. If they operate on me and my heart stops then it stays stopped.

"If they won't do it then I will get it tattooed on my chest -- do not resuscitate."

Mr Jackson was 25 when he lost his brother to leukaemia, aged just 19.

He said he was heartbroken after the death of his 98-year-old grandmother last year and did not want his family to see him suffer like she did.

Mr Jackson said: "I have lost too many people, I have seen them go through a lot and I don't want to go through it.

"Why put the family through weeks and months of pain going to the hospital, seeing no change and then finally the person dies."

He said: "At the end of the day, it all comes down to your basic human rights. If you want to end your life that should be your choice.

"Even if the cancer does not prove terminal and they operate on me and my heart stops -- then it stays stopped."

Retired nurse Frances Polak made headlines in 2003 when she had "do not resuscitate" tattooed on her chest, with a picture of a heart with a line through it.

The 85-year-old, from Lyndhurst, Hampshire, said she did not "want to die twice."

The British Medical Association says doctors can allow an order if resuscitation attempts will not work or if reviving the patient leaves them with a poor quality of life.

A spokesman for the Voluntary Euthanasia Society said: "Nobody has the right to interfere with someone's wishes about treatment they can or cannot receive."

The request has been made to East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust. A trust spokesman said: "The consultant who cares for the patient is responsible for dealing with the patient, relatives and carers and will conduct discussions with them."