Don Watts Cancer Treatment Fund

Within 6 months, I was diagnosed with terminal cancer without any previous symptoms, got married, had brain surgery and intensive radiochemotherapy. Now I am looking to raise funds for a treatment that could prolong my life.

My Story

In September 2020, while being treated for suspected meningitis, doctors discovered a mass in my brain, which turned out to be terminal (grade 4) cancer. Due to the aggressiveness of the tumour, emergency surgery was scheduled on 2 October. With a year to live and still in shock from the news, I married my partner of 4 years within 10 days of diagnosis while mentally preparing for the riskiest and most serious surgery I have ever had to be subjected to.

Thanks to the skills of the neurosurgeons at John Radcliffe Hospital, and despite the severity of the operation, over 97% of the tumour was removed with few side effects such as partial vision loss due to the location of the tumour. Six weeks of intensive radiotherapy and chemotherapy followed with the hope of stopping tumour growth even for a short while.

Unfortunately, our hopes were shaken a month later when I was rushed to the hospital due to persistent headaches. The emergency scan showed a new 7cm tumour spreading past the previously treated area, along with alarming signs in other areas of my brain, making it inoperable. My current treatment plan is to persist with chemotherapy, but the options ahead are increasingly narrowing.

Throughout this time, we have consulted a number of doctors and considered available treatments in other countries, including experimental methods and clinical trials. We have found the CeGaT clinic in Germany with the hope of creating a personalised vaccine that will attack the cancer cells in my brain and keep the tumour at bay. This treatment costs €60,000 in the first instance (on top of travelling and other costs) and although this amount of money is unimaginable to raise on our own, we have decided to pursue it in our best efforts to prolong my life.

Being diagnosed with a terminal disease is shocking news on its own. Having to deal with it under lockdown conditions during a global pandemic has meant excess mental burden not only on myself, but on my family members too. Unable to meet with my siblings, nieces, nephews and friends to support me, I still do my best to create memories and enjoy my time with my children and close family.

Positivity can only take us so far, and so we’re now asking for anyone’s help and support through this fundraiser. With the aim of funding the CeGaT treatment, we appreciate every and any donation offered, but we also are thankful for any other support we are given; sharing this page on social media or elsewhere, your thoughts, and every text message or call we receive, gives us a bit more hope and strength to keep fighting. We wholeheartedly thank you.

Don Watts and family x 

Note: If we’re unable to use the donations for any suitable treatments or exceed our funding goal, monies will go towards a fund for my children in case of my absence which my partner Charilaos Megas will administrate. This was the original goal of this fundraiser, which I set up a couple days after my diagnosis.