Chester father-of-three's devastating brain tumour diagnosis

Family and friends of 42-year-old Karl Rae, described as a "fun, loyal, down-to-earth man", have already raised nearly £7,000 in the space of just 24 hours.

The funds will help support the self-employed stonemason, his wife Gemma, who has health issues of her own, and their three children – Emmilia, 13, Dilen, 11, and Edith, six.

It is hoped that by reaching the £50,000 fundraising target there will be money available to cover alternative treatment costs as well as helping them make memories as a family.

Karl, who lives in Blacon, started suffering from dizzy spells and breathlessness in September last year before developing "crippling headaches" which left him struggling to get out of bed.

Two days before Christmas, he received the "devastating" MRI scan results which revealed that he had a cyst and mass on his brain.

On December 30, Karl underwent surgery to remove as much as possible of the growth, which sadly turned out to be a cancerous brain tumour.

It means he may only have 18 months to live.

However, Karl – who started radiation therapy today (January 27) – is determined to fight it.

A fundraising drive has been launched to support terminally-ill Chester man Karl Rae.

Here is Karl's fundraising story in the words of his family and friends:

"We are fundraising for Karl, a 42 year-old fun, loyal, cheeky, football-loving, down-to-earth man.

"Karl is a father, a husband, a son, a friend, a step brother and one hell of a stonemason. He is a grafter and enjoys doing what he knows best.

"In September he started with dizzy spells and breathlessness. At this point he was given tablets for his inner ear. By December he was suffering crippling headaches, stopped his medication and he struggled to get out of bed.

"Back and to, to the doctors he finally had an emergency MRI scan. After tests he received the results on December 23, 2020 which revealed he had a cyst and mass on his brain.

"This news was a devastating shock. They acted quickly and he had surgery on December 30. They were happy with how the surgery went, taking 90% of the growth, and advised that this would be sent off for analysis.

"On Friday, January 8, they received the news that the growth is a cancerous brain tumour, stage 4, Glioblastoma (GBA), and told 18 months.

"They started him on steroid medication and he was booked to speak with the consultant, virtually, on January 16. This has all been very positive and he will start radiation therapy on January 27, every day for 6 weeks.

"At the weekends he will have tablet form chemotherapy if he manages to tolerate it. The prognosis is not what anyone would want, but they remain positive and they are going to fight this!

"Although they say it will grow back, it's small now and if the treatment keeps it that way that's everyone's focus.

Football-loving, Liverpool FC fan Karl Rae with his son.

"Just take a minute to think about the speed of this. One day you're working your nuts off lugging stone and three weeks later you've had a brain operation, barely able to walk around your own home, and told about your condition.

"Utterly life-altering and frightening. Karl has an amazing wife Gemma, who adores Karl, and as you can imagine this has turned her world upside down too.

"Gemma also has health conditions. She has fibromyalgia, lupus, and kidney and back problems, needing a wheelchair some days, which makes this even harder.

"They have three beautiful children; Emmilia 13, Dilen 11 and Edith 6, who have taken the news in their stride and remain positive, but are having their moments like all children do.

"They all live together in Chester, Cheshire, with their dog and cats. Both Karl and Gemma are self-employed and with the recent events on top of an already difficult year due to Covid, they are both unable to work.

"Whilst they are able to apply to the state for help this is not enough for any quality of life or the best treatment options. They both want to look into alternative treatments, but any specialists in this area come at a high price – £500 for an initial consultation.

"This is still very early days in discovering treatment options, some of which may be abroad. We, their family and friends, all feel helpless and wanted to just find a way to help, which is difficult during Covid, so fundraising will enable us to give support during this incredibly challenging time, and show how much we care and love Karl and the family.

A fundraising drive has been launched to support terminally-ill Chester man Karl Rae.

"This will not only help with medical costs but also enable them as a family to make some great memories and make some dreams come true together – Karl has always wanted to go to New York.

"Hopefully, after lockdown eases travel will be possible again. Karl and Gemma are very proud people and will work day and night to earn their way and provide the best for their children.

"But it’s our time to support them and let them enjoy life too, without the day-to-day financial worries for them and their children.

"We are planning events throughout the year to help people to donate.

• To make a donation visit bit.ly/36hwuyE
• For information on fundraising activities and how you can help visit www.facebook.com/Karl-one-day-at-a-time-103136898458147/about/?ref=page_internal