Woman's Donate4Mike campaign to raise £400,000 for husband's life-saving treatment running out of time

Appeal: Kate Brandon with husband Mike
Kate Brandon
Mark Chandler28 April 2016

An online campaign to save the life of a man suffering from a rare form of leukaemia has just days left to hit its £400,000 target.

Kate Brandon, 33, has so far raised more than £250,000 towards the costs of her husband Mike's treatment at the University of Pennsylvania.

Mrs Brandon has launched the "#donate4Mike" campaign on social media to raise the money for her 31-year-old husband's treatment, which is due to begin next Tuesday.

His treatment is funded by the university but the medical costs associated with its administration must be self-funded.

It is the second time the couple, from Bristol, have appealed directly to the public for help after Mr Brandon was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2014 - a month after proposing to his now wife.

A matching donor was found and Mr Brandon underwent a successful transplant on his 30th birthday.

Last summer the couple married but sadly Mr Brandon relapsed at Easter - and the cancer was spreading at an aggressive rate.

In a video posted on their gofundme page, Mrs Brandon said: "I am so grateful for every moment we have had together in the last two years.

"You feel so much closer to life when you are in this situation and although some bits have been really rough the good times are so, so special."

She told supporters: "I know with your help we can get through it again. We launched the campaign and it has been such a strong start.

"It is just a pleasure to see my Facebook and Twitter account explode with love and affection.

"Please share this #donate4Mike page. Please donate as much as you can or simply change your profile page to our logo or just spread the word. Tell your friends, tell your family.

"I'm sure you can all imagine losing the most important person to you, so please help me combat what we are facing. I know with your help we can get him where he needs to be."

Mrs Brandon said any extra money raised from her fundraising page will be donated to the Bristol Royal Infirmary haematology oncology unit.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.

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