A terminally ill single dad from Tasmania has turned to crowdfunding to make sure his son has a decent start to a new life with family members in Queensland.

Nathan Colman, 34, started to turn his life around after he was released from prison for assault for a second time in 2012, only to receive the devastating news that he did not have long to live.

Mr Colman said he was the sole carer for his son Asaiah, 5, after the boy's mother gave him complete guardianship last month.

The boy was cared for by foster parents who became his god parents after Mr Colman was released.

Since prison Mr Colman has completed a diploma at TAFE, in which he won an outstanding achievement award, before starting an arts degree at the University of Tasmania.

He found out he had terminal brain cancer when his son was two years old.

"It's the most aggressive form of brain cancer that there is," he said.

"The original diagnosis was no more than 15 months, the average life expectancy is 15 months, but I've doubled that so far."

When his first seizure came on Mr Colman said his son was there trying to help him.

"He actually pulled his table over and he was guarding my body, making sure that nothing happened to me," he said.

It is still a difficult memory for the single dad who fights back tears to keep telling his story.

"Just to be able to do that I realised that this child has great compassion and he's able to understand that something's seriously messed up with his dad," he said.

"It was really traumatic for not just me, but for him as well.

"When I talk to him about it I can tell that he does still remember it and he knows what's going on."

Life now devoted to son's future

Mr Colman said he would devote the remainder of his life to making sure his son would have a decent future but he was concerned that the experience would haunt Asaiah for years to come.

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"Last night he came in after he had a bad dream and the dream was that I was walking away from him, and no matter how many times he'd call me I wouldn't stop," he said.

State manager for children's charity group Baptcare Catherine Viney said the situation weighed heavily on the single father.

"I've got a great deal of sympathy for what that family is going through and the desire to find somewhere for his child, somewhere to be safe and to be loved when he's not around," she said.

Mr Colman said it was a huge relief when his sister Charman and her husband Danny offered to take Asaiah in to live with them an their two teenage sons in north Queensland.

"Although he has godparents here (in Tasmania) I was fishing for them to offer and that was what happened," he said.

"Now it's just about me working my way up to Queensland.

"Once I'm able to get that all happening I'll be able to move in with my sister and live the rest of my days until I pass and Az can stay with them."

Strangers help with money, photography donations

Mr Colman said his illness had prevented him from working and he had to turn to the kindness of strangers to raise enough money.

"I'm pretty much at the end of my tether so no more jobs for me... I'm currently unemployed," he said.

"At the moment I'm trying to raise some money through Go Fund Me to help pay for our transport and moving costs and all the other little things.

Mr Colman said having some professional photographs for his son to keep was a lovely gesture form someone he had not met before. ( Supplied: Katinka Smith )

"Whatever goes in, goes in, but it's just nice to be able to have that there to help us along the way."

Ms Viney said it was obvious that Asaiah would be given everything he needed.

"It's not whether you've got two [surviving] parents but that you've got people in your life that you can rely on, that you can trust, that love you, and that you love," she said.

"It's really sad that he's had to resort to something like crowdfunding but at the same time isn't it awesome that technology allows us to get our messages out there in a way that our whole community can respond to.

"Having to move a whole state and leaving your friends... would be really difficult for the child."

But money is not the only thing that has been donated.

Hobart photographer Katinka Smith answered a call on a community social media page to capture some priceless memories for Asaiah.

"She was happy to help us out and it was a fantastic photo shoot and it was nice to be able to have her do that for me, or for us," Mr Colman said.

"He'll be able to have that as he's growing up and that'll be something for him to keep and to look back on and say, 'Wow that was great to be able to do that with my Dad'."