Mason Gascoigne is appealing for help after his 28-year-old partner, Jaimee Sharp, was diagnosed with an aggressive and incurable brain tumour.
Ms Sharp, who has a young son, said her diagnosis was an IDH1-mutant, grade four astrocytoma. She has undergone major surgery and is now receiving radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
The couple are raising £320,516 to help cover the cost of treatment and repeated journeys to the United States, where Ms Sharp hopes to take part in a clinical trial at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
The TarGeT-D trial is investigating the drug olutasidenib, alongside temozolomide, in young people with newly diagnosed high-grade gliomas carrying an IDH1 mutation. Nationwide Children’s Hospital lists the study as recruiting and says it is open to patients aged between 12 and 39.
Ms Sharp’s fundraising page says the drug would be provided as part of the trial, but that medical monitoring, scans, travel and accommodation would not be covered. She would need to make regular trips from Britain to Ohio over a two-year period.
As of Tuesday, the appeal had raised more than £146,000 from over 5,600 donors, according to the fundraising page.
Writing about her son, Teddy, Ms Sharp said: “I’m not ready to say goodbye.” She added that she wanted the opportunity to spend more time with him and to continue being present for his birthdays and Christmases.
Mason, the son of former England footballer Paul Gascoigne, has been sharing the appeal as the family tries to meet the costs before treatment is due to begin.
