A father-of-five from Harrogate has launched a campaign to raise funds for his own medical treatment after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. 

Stuart Gray, whose father is Leeds United legend Eddie Gray, has stage four cholangiocarcinoma – a cancer that forms in the bile ducts. He has been told that by the time this cancer begins to show symptoms, it is usually too advanced for surgery, which is currently the only known cure. 

Complicating the situation, he has also been diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a chronic liver disease with no known cure, which doctors believe was a likely contributing factor in the development of the cancer. 

Writing on the GoFundMe page set up by his brother Nick, Stuart said: 

By Friday afternoon – just a few days after launch – Stuart, 49, had already raised over £30,000 of his £100,000 goal. 

In an update posted today, Stuart said: 

Some of the treatments for Stuart’s illness are widely available on the NHS, but some of the newer and more experimental treatments are less readily available and very costly. 

In addition, Stuart's treatment could include biopsies and testing, CT, MRI scans and X-rays, the fitting of stents to relieve pain, alternative wellbeing therapies, and travel and accommodation costs when seeing consultants in London or abroad. 

Stuart said: 

Stuart will also donate a percentage of the funds raised to AMMF, the cholangiocarcinoma charity. He added: 

Like his father and his famous uncle, Frankie Gray, Stuart is also a former footballer, having played for various clubs including Celtic and Reading, as well as making seven appearance for Scotland at under-21 level.

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