Family's £300,000 plea to save dad with blood cancer told he has just months to live

Derek Allen was diagnosed with multiple myeloma - a form of blood cancer - in February 2019 after suffering from chest pains.

Following the devastating blow, the 41-year-old, who lives in Easington Lane, was told the cancer was treatable but not curable – with an average life expectancy of seven years.

After two years of gruelling chemotherapy the devoted and determined dad now has just months to live after he was told there is nothing more NHS doctors could do for him.

Now Derek, his wife Catherine and their loving family have launched a £300,000 fundraising bid in the hope of receiving potentially life-saving CAR-T treatment in America.

"It’s really tough but I want to keep strong and keep a brave face for my family,” Derek told the Echo.

"To be truthful now there’s a lot more fear and I am becoming more scared because I’m coming towards the end. I feel like I’m getting trapped in a corner and trying to fight my way out.”

Derek, who worked for an architectural company installing steelworks and owns a window cleaning business, suffered a sharp pain in his chest around the right rib cage on the day of a family member’s wedding.

Weeks later when the pain returned he booked a doctors appointment and went in for an X-ray and an emergency CT scan.

“I was told in February 2019 that I had a large sarcoma in my chest wall and in the mean time we had a biopsy and another blood test done which came back as multiple myeloma – which is a blood cancer.

"I had never even heard of myeloma. It was a massive shock.

"Within two weeks I was told it was treatable but not curable and the average is seven years – another huge blow.

Derek has had five lines of chemotherapy but they’ve all failed,

Following five rounds of chemotherapy the NHS won’t fund further treatment and Derek doesn’t meet criteria for a clinical trial taking place in the UK.

It leaves Derek - who is dad to Morgan, 22, and James, 20, and 15-year-old Grace – with no other option but to fund his treatment privately with the ultimate goal of heading to the US to received CAR-T therapy.

Derek, who moved to Easington Lane from Murton three years ago, has been overwhelmed after more than £10,000 has been donated in a matter of days.

The dad admits he doesn’t know how much treatment will cost but even an appointment to see if he is a candidate for potentially life-saving treatment in the US could cost more than $25,000.

"I hate being beat. Even with all these failures I go home and I’m upset mentally about things but I think ‘no I want to prove them wrong’ and that is how I’ve been for the last two years," said Derek, who is grandad to three-year-old Kaidyn.

"Even when they’re saying now ‘you’ve only got a few months and there’s nothing left we can do’ – I’m still looking at them shaking my head saying no, I’m still going to keep going.”

To donate visit www.gofundme.com/f/mrpkzp-please-help-derek-get-his-life-saving-treatment

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