An appeal to help a father dying of cancer to spend more time with his family has hit the £10,000 mark in just one week.

Donations have been pouring in since The Argus told the story of Neil Cooper and his desperate battle to stay alive for his family.

Mr Cooper, 33, from Portslade, has an untreatable form of cancer affecting his lungs and kidneys. His only chance of prolonging his life to spend more time with his six-month-old daughter Caitlin and wife Wendy, 32, is a trial treatment not available on the NHS.

But each three-week course costs about £10,000.

The family managed to find the money for the first batch but had no idea where they were going to get the cash to pay for the next lot of treatment due later this month.

Thanks to readers of The Argus, their worries have now eased.

Cheques and cash donations started coming in on the day the story appeared and have continued to arrive, along with messages of support from across Sussex and other parts of the country.

Appeal co-ordinator Elsa Gillio is delighted the plea has reached its first milestone so quickly. She said efforts were now under way to raise the money to pay for the next course.

There is no guarantee the treatment will work but there is a good chance it will prolong Mr Cooper's life by several months or possibly more.

It may also stabilise his condition long enough for future medical treatments to be developed that may help him.

Ms Gillio said: "It is wonderful news and I would like to thank all the individuals and businesses and other organisations who have contacted us to make a donation.

"People have been touched by Neil's story and want to help him as much as we can.

"I am delighted we have raised enough to pay for the next course of treatment and now we are focusing our efforts on the next £10,000.

"The fund-raising continues and we are urging people to continue to help this family out."

Mr Cooper's older brother Warren said he was overwhelmed by the generosity. He said: "We would like to thank everybody who has helped us.

"We are so grateful. Knowing that money has been raised has taken a real weight off our minds."

He said his brother was recovering from his first course of treatment and appeared to be coping well.

He said: "Things seem to be going in the right direction and we are hopeful things might be starting to work. His body seems to be adjusting to the side effects of the drugs and we are taking that as a positive sign."

Collections are continuing to be made for the appeal and a series of fund-raising events are being organised by friends, colleagues, family and other well-wishers.

  • Cheques made payable to The Argus can be sent to the Neil Cooper Appeal, Argus House, Crowhurst Road, Brighton, BN1 8AR. Alternatively, people can donate by credit card. To make a donation or to find out how to help with fund-raising, call Elsa Gillio on 01273 544465 or 07796 318402 or email her at elsa.gillio@theargus.co.uk
  • Friday, May 5, 2006