MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2018 LEICESTER MERCURY
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NEWS
PICTURE: TED
COTTRELL
RUBBLE:
The bungalow
destroyed in
the blast
❚❙ Disease spreads but fund-raising for new treatment is close to target
Cancer mum faces new fight
A new mother with terminal
cancer has been told the
disease has spread – but a
new offer of treatment is
providing a glimmer of hope.
Kate Geraghty, 34, was previ-
ously told a tumour at the base
of her skull could not be re-
moved.
Even if she did have surgery,
doctors warned she would have
a low quality of life.
On Thursday, Kate was told a
further scan showed the cancer
had spread further.
A fund-raising page has been
set up to help her fund immun-
otherapy, to give her more time
with her four-month-old
daughter, Ivy. It has raised
more than £88,000 so far.
In a statement. Kate and her
fiancé Paul Dhillon, 35, said:
“We wanted to take this oppor-
tunity to thank everyone for
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their overwhelming generos-
ity and to provide an update on
Kate’s treatment.
“Unfortunately, on Thursday,
the news wasn’t good. The Pet-
CT scan results showed further
spread of the cancer to Kate’s
spine and hip bone.
“We were presented with an
option for Kate to go through
four to six rounds of chemo-
therapy, involving many side-
effects such as hair loss, sick-
ness and loss of appetite.
“We have decided not to pur-
sue this as it will not give Kate a
good quality of life for her final
months.
“Thanks to the immeasurable
kindness of our friends, family
and the public, we are almost
there in terms of the funds re-
quired for Kate to begin im-
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munotherapy treatment. Much
of this has been through the re-
lentless efforts of people on so-
cial media, which has also al-
lowed us to reach out to medic-
al professionals across the
world.
“As a result, we have managed
to find a medical oncologist
who is able to treat Kate as a
private patient, from home,
avoiding the need for her to re-
locate abroad for treatment
and be away from family,
friends and home comforts.”
This could give Kate more
time with her loved ones as she
wished and allow her to begin
treatment sooner.
The statement continued:
“While we were obviously ex-
tremely sad yesterday, we are
so pleased that Kate can receive
care at home, while hopefully
being able to begin immuno-
therapy treatment as early as
ROOFING
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Huge blast has
left bungalow
looking like this
LITTLE remains of a
bungalow destroyed in a
devastating explosion on
Thursday.
A woman was hurt in the
blast, which happened
shortly after 6.30pm, in
Kirkby Lane, between
Peckleton and Kirkby
Mallory.
Debris was blown into the
surrounding fields and neigh-
bours described thinking a
bomb had gone off.
The cause of the blast is
still under investigation.
next week. We are still in com-
plete awe at the speed at which
such a vast sum of money has
been raised and feel pro-
foundly grateful.
“We simply wouldn’t have had
the money, nor would we have
been put in contact with the
medical experts without every-
one’s help.
“The immunotherapy option
offers some hope of managing
Kate’s cancer, with the possibil-
ity of more ‘well’ days and this
is where the money raised will
be spent.
“The chemotherapy option
offered no possibility of a
meaningful addition to Kate’s
life, with the side-effects poten-
tially resulting in her being
treated as an inpatient.
“While immunotherapy is un-
doubtedly a speculative option,
PRECIOUS: Kate Geraghty we believe it is better than wait-
with her baby daughter Ivy ing for the disease to com-
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Highfields Drive, Wigston
5
Only a few stacks of brick-
work are still standing amid
the debris of the building.
Residents told how people
rushed to help the woman,
who suffered burns and is
being treated in hospital.
One man, who went to help
the woman after the explo-
sion, said: “There was just
one almighty thud. Not just
loud but like a bomb.”
The woman lived in the
bungalow with her three
dogs, which were taken to a
vet by the police.
pletely take over. We are both
aware of the incredible fund-
raising events taking place
over the coming days and
weeks, and should the initial
immunotherapy treatment
have any meaningful effect on
Kate’s health, we will need to
continue the treatment, mean-
ing the funds raised will be-
come ever more crucial.
“We want to assure everyone
that each decision we take is
with Kate’s health and quality
of life in mind, while best util-
ising the funds which have
been raised.
“Every penny, every pound
and every minute counts for
Kate at the moment.”
The fund to support Kate’s
treatment had raised £88,085 at
the time of going to press.
To make a donation, visit:
justgiving.com/crowdfunding/
rebecca-storer
0116 2887447