£41K raised after Blacko mum diagnosed with brain tumour

Abby Spencer, 39, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in September and her family is now hoping to raise £50,000 to pay for treatment in Germany, which is not available on the NHS.

Her husband, James Spencer, said she had been experiencing headaches since June.

James Spencer, Amelia Spencer and Abby Spencer (Image: James Spencer) He said: “Back in June she started experiencing headaches. She saw the GP but the headaches only got worse.

“She ended up going to urgent care but they didn’t think there [was any cause for concern].

"She ended up having a CT scan and they discovered a tumour which they initially thought was a grade 1, which was operable.”

On October 30, the family’s lives were “turned upside down” after doctors confirmed it was a grade four tumour, “with a prognosis of 14 to 16 months”.

James, 41, said: “Initially it was really tough, not so much for Abby but more for the family, as Abby is quite a strong girl.

“It has taken quite a while to cope with the news. Then last week we decided we are going to put up a fight and do something about it.”

James said the family decided to fundraise for immunotherapy treatment (a cancer treatment that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help fight cancer) in Germany. This treatment is not currently available on the NHS.

The family need to raise £50,000 and at the time of writing more than £41,000 has been donated.

James said some of these donations have come from fellow Burnley FC fans after he put out an appeal to them on X, as Abby is a long-term season ticket holder.

James said: “We were blown away at the amount of donations.

"It went live on Saturday, (November 9) morning and that night it really seemed to pick up.

“Abby is a big Clarets fan and has been a season ticket holder and has been since she was a kid.

"We saw a bit of an increase in donations when we put the appeal out to Burnley fans.”

James said Abby’s aim is to see her two children, Amelia and George, grow up and go to school.

“She is open to anything. She wants to be able to see her kids go to school and she is steadfast that she wants to do that.

“She is a fantastic mum and her kids mean the world to her. Having young kids with something like this is really quite tough.”

James wants to thank anyone who has made a donation. He is also encouraging them to pursue a diagnosis if they think something is wrong with their bodies.

He said: “I want to thank anyone who has donated. I hope people carry on spreading the word about it.

“People know their bodies so if you think something isn’t right please go and get it checked it.”

To make a donation visit: www.gofundme.com and search ‘Live, Love, Fight for Abby’.