Spencer McCall is less than £15,000 away from raising the £90,000 he needs for life-saving treatment to win his new battle against cancer after just over a week of fundraising, writes David Ballheimer.
The 25-year-old midfielder’s online appeal hit £75,807 on Saturday night, eight days after kicking off and ahead of an exclusive interview in Sunday’s NLP with his fundraising family and friends.
McCall, who has a young child, launched a JustGiving online appeal last Friday as the NHS cannot fund the expensive treatments outside the UK to save his life. By midnight last Saturday, McCall was already nearly a quarter of the way his target after nearly 800 people pledged almost £22,000.
Diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare deadly form of bone cancer in February 2019, the former Wingate & Finchley, Royston Town, Hendon and Hemel Hempstead Town star underwent 14 cycles of chemotherapy and three major surgeries last year before being given the all-clear in September.
As we continue to announce new signings today, it’s important to remember @Spencerrrr4‘s brave fight.
He needs our help to get the necessary treatment. He’s in touching distance of the £90,000 with over £70k raisedhttps://t.co/lj9dXAwWAY
He’s one of our own – #TudorsTogether
— Hemel Hempstead Town FC (@hemelfc) July 17, 2020
Wingate & Finchley put on a tournament involving his four former clubs last July which raised a four-figure sum to help him get his life back on track. Tragically, a routine scan in February this year showed his cancer had returned, with multiple tumours in both lungs.
Sadly, more chemotherapy targeting the lungs has failed to stop the progression of the disease but alternative therapies outside the UK, including innovative radiotherapy, Cyberknife, immunotherapy and dendritic cell therapy – will increase his chances of winning his battle with the disease.
The football community has been quick to come to McCall’s aid as he raises the funds to travel to see specialists in Spain and Germany. Former Hendon team-mate Ollie Sprague and his former clubs among those posting regular messages of support on social media with links to the crowdfunding page.
Bristol City forward Sammy Szmodics publicised the appeal in an interview on the Bristollive website. “It can’t help but affect everyone around him but, do you know what, while it’s been tough – and it seems silly to say because it’s not me going through it – the one person who helps you is Spencer with how he is about it,” said the friend of McCall’s for many years. “He’s a fighter and always has been.”
Many of those donating have also added messages of support for the player. One, Gemma Vickerage, wrote: “Keepfighting Spencer, my little boy Artie (4) who just fought cancer last year says YOU CAN DO IT! xx Hope you meet target soon and get the treatment you need x”
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