Oxford United would like to offer our love and support to our former player Stuart Gray.
Stuart, now 49, joined the U’s in 2005 from Rushden and Diamonds and made 11 appearances before moving on to Guiseley.
Stuart, the son of Leeds United Legend Eddie, tells his story far more eloquently than we could:
“My name is Stuart Gray. I’m a 49-year-old father of five from Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
I was recently diagnosed with stage four Cholangiocarcinoma, which is a very rare and highly aggressive form of cancer that forms in the bile ducts. Sadly, by the time this cancer begins to show symptoms, it is usually too advanced for surgery, which is currently the only potential cure.
To make my condition even more complex, I was also recently diagnosed with PSC (Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis), which is a chronic liver disease in which the bile ducts inside and outside the liver become inflamed and scarred, and eventually narrowed or blocked. This disease has no known cure and was most likely a contributing factor in the development of my cancer.
The severity of my illness means that doctors estimate my life expectancy from time of diagnosis (June 2023) is somewhere in the region of 6 to 18 months. However, treatments are available for the Cholangiocarcinoma that can prolong life expectancy, and in some rare cases even cure this terrible disease, and I am determined to do everything I can to fight it with everything I have.
Some of these treatments, such as the standard GemCis chemotherapy, are widely available on the NHS. However, some of the newer and more experimental treatments, that could have the most significant and life changing impact, have not yet been approved for NHS use. Therefore, they are less readily available, and come at a significant cost.
At time of writing, Durvalumab, an immunotherapy drug which activates the immune system to fight against cancer cells, is in the process of being approved by the NHS for widescale use. There are also various other immunotherapy drugs that are being tested and will hopefully soon be available for use in the fight against cancer.
Unfortunately, time is not on my side, and to wait for approval of these various experimental treatments, and then for the treatments to be administered by the NHS, will likely take years.
Accessing these drugs and treatments privately is costly and can be difficult. Amongst other things, the process could involve;
- Biopsys (liquid and/or tissue) and molecular testing to gauge which drugs may work best for myself and my condition
- Regular consultant phone calls, reviews and meetings
- CT, MRI scans and X-rays
- Invasive procedures including the fitting of stents to relieve pain
- Train travel to London, or perhaps air travel to see consultants overseas
- Accommodation costs
- Accessing the drugs themselves and having them administered
- Alternative wellbeing therapies
My family and I will be posting regular updates along the way and will be partaking in various fundraising efforts to help pay for any treatment that may be needed in the coming months and, God willing, years.
Any help or support you can offer during this process would be appreciated more than you will ever know.
Stuart is asking for donations here but, typical of one of football’s good guys, he is also looking to help others
“Whilst the kind donations made will be helping me to fund my ongoing treatment, I also want to make sure I am doing my bit in the wider fight against cancer, and specifically Cholangiocarcinoma. As such, a percentage of the proceeds made will be donated to the AMMF Cholangiocarcinoma charity. If/when treatment is no longer needed, for whatever reason, all of the surplus funds will also go to the AMMF.
Thanks,
Stuart