Westham family raise money for dad's cancer battle

The family of a Westham man who suffers from a rare and aggressive form of cancer are raising money for specialist treatment in Sweden.
Westham man Martin Child, 58, suffers from a rare and angressive form of cancer SUS-161204-114201001Westham man Martin Child, 58, suffers from a rare and angressive form of cancer SUS-161204-114201001
Westham man Martin Child, 58, suffers from a rare and angressive form of cancer SUS-161204-114201001

Martin Child, a 58-year-old retired teacher from Westham, was first diagnosed with what was thought to be testicular cancer in September last year.

While he immediately began treatment with the NHS it quickly became clear that Martin was in fact suffering from poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma, a rarer and more aggressive form of cancer.

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Martin’s daughter Tara said, “My dad’s oncologist in the UK told us he had months to live and that there was nothing that could be done for him other than chemotherapy to try and hold the cancer back. We were told to come back in two weeks to discuss the chemotherapy. Two weeks sounded like two weeks wasted to me when I had just been told my dad would die within months.

“I researched doctors specialising in this type of cancer and found Dr Granberg, a top specialist at Uppsala in Sweden. He responded to my email requesting help within 30 minutes and within days we flew out for a consultation with him.

“Under Dr Granberg’s care my dad has received three rounds of chemotherapy and is fighting with everything he has.”

After this first round of specialist treatment Martin’s cancer began to recede. Unfortunately Martin’s form of cancer quickly becomes resistant to chemotherapy and he will require six weeks of radiotherapy to try and remove the disease completely.

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Tara said, “Dr Granberg has said this is his one chance to get rid of it and that we have got to hit it as hard as we can. It is so aggressive that if we don’t then my dad will die and soon.

“My dad is an amazing man and words don’t begin to describe how much I love him. At the age of 33 he was left to raise my two older brothers and I as a single parent. He put everything he had into bringing us up and making sure we never went without and that we had a secure and happy life.

“He has been our dad, our mum and our best friend and now we face the very real fear of losing him.”

Martin’s family are now hoping to raise around £19,000 for his treatment and accommodation in Sweden.

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For more information about Martin’s treatment and to donate visit https://www.gofundme.com/8kvxrg9n

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