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More than £7,000 raised for Walderslade family after dad given weeks to live following cancer battle

By: Alex Langridge alangridge@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 05:00, 21 May 2024

Updated: 12:20, 21 May 2024

A dad-of-two has been told he has weeks to live following a three-year fight with cancer.

Spencer Read was first diagnosed with testicular cancer in December 2021 and underwent intense treatment at Maidstone Hospital.

Dad-of-two Spencer was first diagnosed in 2021. Picture: Hollie Read

Although he had the tumour removed, three months later he was told it had already spread to his lungs and stomach.

Following 12 weeks of chemotherapy Spencer was in remission for more than a year before becoming an inpatient at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Surrey.

During his three-month review, in April, medics told him his cancer had returned and it was unlikely they could treat it because they had already tried intense chemotherapy and stem cell treatment.

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Spencer, 35, has now been given only a few weeks to live.

His wife, Hollie Read, told KentOnline: “It has been a devastating blow to our family as we thought after everything we went through last year and how hard Spencer fought, that we would be able to move forward now.

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From left: Hollie and Spencer. Picture: Hollie Read

“Spencer is a fun, jokey person and that has been how he has been through some of his treatment.

“We have two young children, a nine-year-old and a four-year-old. They have been extremely brave and our eldest is always thinking about how she can support her sister through this.”

The family, from Walderslade Village, hoped Spencer could take part in a clinical trial for a new drug, however, his doctors have said his cancer is too progressive and there is not enough time left to complete it.

Their friend, Amie Dudley, has since set up a fundraising page to help them continue making memories with each other without worrying about the cost.

Hollie, 37, added: “The fundraiser was something we were hesitant to do at first as we have generally always been quite private as a family.

Spencer is hoping to make more memories with his two daughters. Picture: Hollie Read

“Then we thought about how we have always supported others through fundraising and never judged anyone, so we decided anything that can help our girls we are open to.

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“The support has been phenomenal. We are so overwhelmed with the kind words, donations and support from friends, family and our local community.

“I am a teacher and the kindness from our school community staff and parents has been astounding.

“We have had a difficult couple of weeks health-wise for Spencer and reading some of the comments and stories shared has been uplifting.

“Amie and her husband Shane have always been great friends to us, the support they have given us has been amazing.”

A family friend set up the fundraising page to help them. Picture: Hollie Read

At the time of writing more than £7,000 has been raised for the Read family. You can donate here.

Hollie added: “The money will give us some peace of mind in a time that is very uncertain.

“We can create some memories with our girls and not have to worry about moving house and uprooting the girls when they are going through so much.”

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