Bristol man who raised £400k for lifesaving cancer treatment celebrates birth of twins
A man whose life was saved by the generosity of the people of Bristol has become a dad to twins.
In 2016, Mike Brandon had just a few weeks to live when his wife Kate launched an appeal to raise £400,000. The money would allow Mike to take part in a medical trial, only available in the US.
The incredible sum of money was raised in just nine days, and Mike was sent over to the States for treatment.
After a long battle, the treatment worked well - and Mike has been in remission for a couple of years.
This week, the couple from Westbury-on-Trym have shared the news on their old 'Donate4Mike' Facebook page, that Kate has given birth to twins.
After first announcing she was pregnant last August, Kate has posted on the page describing the birth of her two new babies as ‘a stupendously good news story’.
Hinting that having twins was not quite part of the plan, she said: “I’ve almost got exactly what I said I’d always wanted, but not quite”.
In 2014, Kate issued her first appeal for a stem cell donor when Mike was diagnosed with leukaemia.
When the disease came back in 2016, and the couple had just over a week to raise the money.
A huge appeal went viral in Bristol, and a total of 22,600 people donated and helped Mike.
Kate has urged anyone touched by their story to keep supporting people going through Car T Cell Therapy - the treatment Mike had that is now available in Bristol.