Mark Chandler Fight Against Leukaemia

As some of you will be aware, in early October Mark was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML). AML is a particularly rare and aggressive form of blood cancer. Only around 3,200 people in the UK are diagnosed with this disease each year, and sadly Mark finds himself one of those unfortunate few. This diagnosis has understandably turned his and his family’s lives upside down.

Mark has been in hospital full-time since 25th September and has undergone two rounds of back-to-back chemotherapy since his diagnosis, the latter of which was extremely intensive. He and his family are now waiting to find out whether the second round has been successful.

If this second round achieves remission, Mark will then undergo an even more intense round of chemotherapy in preparation for a stem cell transplant as that is the only curative option in his case.

Mark and his family have been bowled over by the outpouring of support and well-wishes from friends and family near and far since they got this devastating news. The kindness of everyone has been overwhelming and has brought them comfort at such a challenging time.

None of us think that it will ever happen to us, but as Mark set out to establish his business Stonewells some years ago, he took notice of sound financial advice and covered himself with an income protection policy with a reputable insurer. This was meant to mitigate the impact of any unforeseen circumstances which would prevent Mark from working.

At the time of Mark’s diagnosis, he was relieved that he had paid his premiums for all those years, and duly went through the process of making his claim. Unfortunately, it is now becoming apparent that the insurer does not intend to honour the policy and is instead offering a fraction of the amount due.

The peace of mind which this policy was supposed to provide is shattered. The impact of this massive shortfall on Mark and his family will be significant as they simply will not be able to afford the very basics.

Mark is obviously fighting this decision from the insurer, but this completely defeats the purpose of taking out the policy in the first place. Mark’s efforts should be solely focused on his recovery. In these circumstances, the last thing anyone should be dealing with is financial worries, especially with a young family.

A group of us have therefore taken the decision to set up this Go Fund Me collection to help Mark cover the cost of living for as long as possible.

We fully appreciate that this is an expensive time of year, and no family is without its own pressures and worries. There is therefore no pressure on anybody to donate, but if you are in a position to donate anything at all, it would be hugely appreciated by Mark and his family.

Again, Mark thanks everyone for their love, support and well-wishes.