Terminally ill Shropshire father raises £415,000 for girl's cancer op
A father who is battling a terminal illness has now raised more than £400,000 to send his stepdaughter, who has a rare form of cancer, abroad for pioneering treatment.
Tom Attwater, 31, and his wife, Joely, 27, believe the treatment is vital for their daughter, Kelli.
The couple, who tied the knot in April, need to gather half a million pounds.
Five-year-old Kelli was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at the age of just three months and although she is now in remission, Tom fears she could suffer a relapse and wants her to undergo pioneering treatment, for which the NHS has refused to pay.
The appeal has seen fundraising events held across Shropshire and Tom's home town of Bridgnorth, with friends and family rallying people to back the campaign.
Tom, who himself only finished a course of radiotherapy in June and is still recovering, took over the fundraising campaign 10 months - and in that time he has raised more than £350,000.
He said despite his brain tumour getting worse in recent months, it had only made him more determined to raise the final few thousands pounds for Kelli.
"We have now raised £415,000 and want to reach our target of £500,000 as soon as possible," he said.
"We have received a lot of help from Bridgnorth and I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that has chipped in.
"They have been such stars in helping my little girl.
"My brain tumour has got worse in the last six months but this makes me doubly determined to raise the monies needed.
"We have recently filmed a TV documentary on the appeal, which will be shown later in the year on the BBC."
The next fundraising event will be a Northern Soul and Motown Night in the Castle Hall, Bridgnorth, on August 30, from 9pm.
Tickets cost £5 and all proceeds will go towards the appeal.
"It looks like a great night and we'd love to see lots of people from the Bridgnorth area come out and support the appeal," said Tom.
"DJ Paul Johnson will be running the night.
"He kindly approached us, alongside Liz Howard, and offered to help put on this night.
"I am extremely grateful to them for doing so.
"The will also be a raffle with some great prizes, including a meet and greet with singer, Peter Andre."
To donate to the appeal visit www.justgiving.com/helpkelli or text STOP60 and an amount to 70070.
