Fundraiser launched for family dealing with terminal cancer diagnosis

Within the space of nine months, a doting dad-of-two’s oesophageal cancer diagnosis has gone from treatable to terminal, with his family now set on making memories.

Lee Gould, from Portchester, was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in January of this year after experiencing difficulty swallowing over the festive period. An endoscopy revealed the presence of a tumour, with further scans confirming the mass was cancerous.

A fundraiser has been launched for a family after a dad-of-two was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Lee Gould, left, with his wife Danielle and their two children. | Contributed

placeholder image — A fundraiser has been launched for a family after a dad-of-two was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Lee Gould, left, with his wife Danielle and their two children. | Contributed

Despite the diagnosis and enduring four rounds of chemotherapy treatment at QA Hospital, the 38-year-old, who went to King Richard School in Paulsgrove, remained hopeful after repeatedly being informed by doctors that his diagnosis looked positive.

Toni-Louise Lepley, Lee’s sister-in-law, said: “They were using the word ‘curative’ from the start and now we have got the worst possible news.

“They made a plan of chemotherapy and then he was going to have an operation to remove the tumour and then have more treatment. Fast forward to four rounds of chemo and they found the tumour had shrunk quite a lot. They were happy with the progress and decided they weren’t going to send him for the operation and were going to send him for four more rounds of chemo to shrink it further so the operation wouldn’t be as invasive.”

After a total of eight rounds of chemotherapy, Lee underwent the procedure to remove the tumour on August 11, with doctors describing the operation as “successful” despite the mass not shrinking as much as previously hoped.

However when the salesman was discharged and went home with his wife of nine-years, Danielle, and their two daughters, he started to experience pain in his kidneys, originally suspected to be a blood clot or kidney stones.

Pictured: Lee (right) with wife, Danielle, (left) and their two children. | Contributed

On Tuesday, September 8, Lee attended QA for a PET scan. Within a few days the lives of the Gould family was turned upside down after receiving the devastating news that Lee now has terminal cancer in his lymph nodes.

Toni-Louise explained: “The cancer caught the hospital by surprise. It wasn’t there before, but it is in the lymph nodes behind where the tumour was and is now terminal. From the very start the hospital was very positive because of his age.

“It felt like the longest weekend of our lives. I don’t think we can really come to terms with the news we’ve been given. I don’t know how we have gone from A to B in such a short space of time but Lee is very positive and I think we are trying to move forward to make memories with him the best we can.

“We don’t know how long he has got left and Lee doesn’t want to know. He has said he doesn’t want to live life by a calendar. The kids are doing okay but I’m not sure they really grasp the reality of what is happening and I think they are probably in denial.

“I don’t use the word brother-in-law, I use brother because he has been around for as long as I can remember, and almost as long as my actual brother. It is hard, it has hit us all really hard. He is like a son to my parents. It’s hit us all really, really hard not only because it’s devastating but because we've gone from such positive news to devastating news in such a short time.

“There is nothing they can do for him now, it’s just a case of pain management.”

Lee Gould with his two children | Contributed

Toni-Louise, also of Portchester, launched a Just Giving page in an attempt to raise £5,000 which will go towards relieving the financial strain on her sister and brother-in-law while they process the prognosis.

Danielle, 37, and Lee have been partners for the past twenty years and are due to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary next August.

Toni-Louise continued: “My sister is trying to keep strong for everyone but she is devastated. This money is mainly to relieve them of that financial burden because Lee is the main breadwinner”, Toni-Louise continued, “I’m so thankful for everyone who has donated. The money we have got is from people who know us so it is nice to have that community behind us and see everyone come together.”

So far, the fundraiser has reached over £1,500 through more than 50 donations - for more information about how to donate, click here.