Family of Hemel Hempstead Town footballer appeal for help for final leg of treatment plan to beat cancer

The family of a Hemel Hempstead Town footballer, with a rare bone cancer, are appealing for the public's help to raise additional funds for the final part of his treatment plan, in the hope that he will beat cancer.

In July last year, Spencer McCall s family were hoping to raise £100,000 for life saving treatment in Germany and Spain, after grueling chemotherapy for Ewing Sarcoma which had spread to his lungs.

In February 2019, the 26-year-old was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer, and the tumour was 7cm in size.

Since October, Spencer has been receiving treatment in Tijuana, Mexico, and has been there ever since.

He has received positive results from his treatment plan and has recently endured whole lung irradiation, to hopefully give that extra boost to kill or at least shrink the tumours he has in his lungs.

Spencer is now seeking additional funding of £75,000 to help fund the final leg of his treatment plan, in the hope that he will beat cancer.

Zoe Acutt, Spencer's sister-in-law, said: "His sheer determination and positivity to keep going, despite the odds just shows what a true inspiration he is and he should be truly recognised for his strength and willingness to keep up the fight."

Spencer updated the fundraising page on March 7. He said: "I want to apologise for not posting an update sooner. Before I share my journey I just want to thank you all again. To every single person that shared my story/donated towards my treatment fund, thank you.

"I’m so grateful to have been given the opportunity to explore treatment outside of the palliative care that was offered to me in the UK and I know that without the funding it is very likely that I wouldn’t be here writing this today.

"After raising the funds my initial plan was to travel to Germany to have Cyberknife radiotherapy on my lungs, followed by immune boosting vaccines. After raising the funding necessary for this I was so excited to begin this treatment in August but unfortunately at the last minute I was told that my disease was too advanced.

"Unfortunately between treatment sessions the disease was progressing far too quickly and it was decided that I’d need to seek alternative options.

"I also travelled to Latvia on 4 occasions to receive immune boosting CIK vaccines. This procedure was to boost my natural killer cells and although this has been an extremely valuable part of my treatment plan, on it’s own it wasn’t enough to control my disease.

"I needed alternatives fast but we felt like we were back to square one. Luck was on my side and a close friend of mine had come across a success story of a fellow sarcoma patient who was receiving treatment at the Immunity Therapy Center in Tijuana, Mexico.

"After reaching out and consulting with the doctors at ITC and understanding their approach of mixing alternative therapies with traditional medicine, I realised fairly quickly this was a great opportunity for me.

"I’ve now been continuously receiving treatment in Mexico for just over 18 weeks, 6 days a week. I receive a huge variety of treatments here, specifically tailored for my type of cancer.

"The facility is amazing, every staff member is so compassionate and caring and I’ve formed a bond with my lovely nurse Liz!

"All tumours also show large areas of central necrosis which is an extremely promising sign.

"Following this scan it was decided that of course I continue with the treatment here but also undergo radiotherapy (whole lung irradiation) to give things an extra boost. I began a course of whole lung irradiation here in Mexico alongside the original treatment plan, which ran every day for two and a half weeks and finished on the 3rd of March.

"I’m now back to just my original treatment plan until I can have a scan in approximately eight weeks time which I’m very hopeful will give even better results.

"Unfortunately this has all come at a huge cost and now I’m having to seek additional funding to help see me through the final leg of my treatment.

"The cost of my core treatment is approximately $6,000 per week. My aim is to continue with therapy here for at least 8 more weeks until the scan as a minimum.

"The next step (when I have less/smaller lesions) will be to finally receive Cyberknife radiotherapy as originally planned, which I can undergo here in Mexico.

"Following this, I will continue a remote programme at home in partnership with the clinic here in Mexico as a maintenance therapy for the foreseeable future.

"With the additional funding required to fund my ongoing treatment I have had to up the original fundraising target. I really appreciate that the pandemic has had a huge financial impact on many and asking for additional funding has been a difficult decision that I’ve been putting off until now.

"To say I’m extremely grateful is a complete understatement and I cannot express how thankful I am to everyone that has supported me in my journey to fight this disease!

"I will never forget the day when I was sitting in the doctors office in London last summer with Sarah and we were told that nothing more could be done for me.

"To have been given hope since and to finally be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel is a feeling that I can’t quite put into words. With your help I’m really looking forward to the future."

Gary, Spencer's dad said: "It was always one step forward and two back but with this latest treatment he has hope, which he never had before.

"This is the first time, since it came back, that it hasn't grown, so a definite positive for us.

"Anything anyone can give will really help Spencer."

To make a donation to Spencer's fundraising page, click here.