- Tom Attwater hopes to raise £500,000 to pay for his daughter’s treatment
- Kelli, 4, was diagnosed with high-risk childhood cancer at 3-months-old
- Treatment she will need if she relapses is not provided by NHS
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A dying father is attempting to raise £500,000 to help save his five-year-old daughter who has beaten cancer twice but could relapse at any time.
Tom Attwater, 30, is battling a terminal brain tumour but is ignoring his own health problems and desperately trying to raise the cash needed to help save his daughter Kelli’s life.
Time is running out for Mr Attwater, who has already raised £425,000 needed for her treatment, after doctors confirmed his tumour was growing.
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Tom Attwater pictured with his five-year-old daughter Kelli who he is trying to raise £500,000 for treatment for
He said: ‘People in my situation make bucket lists – but there is only one thing on mine.
‘All that matters is raising money to make sure Kelli can get the medical help she will need if she relapses but it really is a race against time.’
He added: ‘I’ve run out of chances, luck and time but I’ve had a great life. My brain tumour is getting worse and I am finding it harder to do normal things.
‘Some people have advised me to slow down and concentrate on enjoying the rest of my days.
‘But all that matters is making sure that I raise enough money for Kelli so she can have the best chance of a long and happy and healthy life.
The business manager is £75,000 short of his target to help Kelli, who has been battling neuroblastoma – the most common children’s cancer – since she was three-months-old.
Despite battling a brain tumour, Tom Attwater is desperately trying to raise £500,000 for treatment for Kelli
Doctors have confirmed Mr Attwater’s tumour was growing but he has already raised £425,000 for her
The family (pictured Tom with his with Joely Attwater, right, and their daughter Kelli, centre) were told if the cancer returns she will need specialist treatment which she can only get in the United States
Although clear of the disease at the moment, doctors say her chance of relapse remains high.
The family, from Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands, were told if the cancer returns she will need specialist treatment which she can only get in the United States.
Mr Attwater said: ‘I am just pleading with people to help my daughter – anything will make a difference, 50p or a £1.’
Kelli was two-years-old when he met her mother Joely Attwater, 26, three years ago and he soon became her father.
The pair bonded after Kelli went through a series of operations to remove tumours – just months before Mr Attwater was then diagnosed with brain cancer.
Pictured at their wedding, met Kelli’s mother Joely Attwater, 26, three years ago and soon became her father
Tom is pleading with people to donate what they can even though he might not get to see it through
Tom has received more than 17,000 donations ranging from £1 to £10,000 after posting appeal for help online
He said: ‘I will never get to see my beautiful daughter grow up as I so want to. I don’t blame people or the world for this. A lot of life is simply luck and mine has run out.
‘I am going to miss so much – her first day at school, her first date, to hold her when her heart hurts.
‘Most dads and daughters have decades to chat around the kitchen tables, their hands warmed by mugs of coffee, as the dad dishes out advice. We don’t have that time.’
‘Now my final gift to Kelli will be trying to raise the money so she can live a great and happy life. It will be my legacy to her.
‘I don’t know if we will make the £500,000 before I die but I can only hope our story will touch people’s heart to want to help make my dying wish come true.’
Mr Attwater has received more than 17,000 donations ranging from £1 to £10,000 for his campaign after posting an emotional appeal for help on the internet in 2013.
justgiving.com/helpkelli or follow their Facebook page The Kelli Smith Appeal
or comment on this article
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