Hollywood star backs Chris' cancer plight as treatment fundraiser now tops £74,000

The family of a man who is battling two brain tumours say they have been overwhelmed by the support, including the backing of a Hollywood star, as he raises cash for pioneering treatment.
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Chris Laycock, who grew up in Ossett, was diagnosed with two inoperable brain tumours three months ago and told he could have as little as 12 months to live.

But the 44-year-old and his family are busy raising £100,000 to send him to Germany for treatment that he says could not only prolong his life, but even save it.

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And after a fundraising page was set up, in the space of a matter of weeks more than £74,000 has already been pledged.

His partner Jo Booth said: "We can't believe that we have got this far this quickly, we are just absolutely overwhelmed.

"A lot of the fundraising ideas have not even started yet either.

"We thought we'd have about £20,000 or £30,000 by now. The amount of people who have donated and say they check the total first thing on a morning."

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Among the fundraisers were two five-year-olds from East Yorkshire who have raised more than £3,000 by walking around their village.

Seeing stars.....Chris Layock (left) has been given the support of Hollywood actor, Alex Winter.Seeing stars.....Chris Layock (left) has been given the support of Hollywood actor, Alex Winter.
Seeing stars.....Chris Layock (left) has been given the support of Hollywood actor, Alex Winter.

However, there has also been support from America in the shape of Hollywood star, Alex Winter.

Making light of his diagnosis, father-of-three Chris has named his tumours Bill & Ted, from the 1980s film which starred Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves.

And after Chris' sister contacted the star through Instagram, he responded by spreading the word of his Chris' plight.

He also made a cash donation to the cause.

Chris with his parents.Chris with his parents.
Chris with his parents.
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Jo said: "He seems like a really nice guy, he did a Tweet about it and we've feature in over 300 newspapers and outlets on the back of that.

"We thank him so much for the support and he has wished us all the best of luck."

Chris was "in the best shape of his life" and competed in gym competitions before he was given the devastating diagnosis.

Before that, he began showing symptoms that he and Jo thought were simply down to his Covid-19 injection.

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Chris, who attended Ossett Comprehensive, but now lives in Lancashire and runs a flooring company, started developing symptoms earlier this year, including a dead-arm feeling often associated with the Covid jab.

But it then spread to his leg, he began to struggle to grasp words and his depth perception was affected.

As his condition deteriorated, a scan eventually showed that he has two brain tumours, one of which is an aggressive stage-4 glioblastoma that continues to grow rapidly.

It also means it is less responsive to regular treatment such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which is already undergoing, and dramatically reduces Chris' life expectancy.

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Chris is now hoping to fly out to Germany before the end of the year where he can undergo immuno-oncological therapy - a new treatment that strengthens the immune system.

To help Chris hit his total, you can donate here.