Fighter Matt unbroken by terminal cancer diagnosis

Friends launch appeal to fund life-saving care in Germany

It is news that would crush even the strongest of wills.

But when 39-year-old Matt Burton was told by doctors he had six to 12 months to live he refused to accept it and set about on a quest for survival.

Despite gruelling bouts of chemotherapy that left him with horrific side effects, he carried on working, travelling to Europe in his role as a project manager for a global branding company, to ensure he could pay for research and any subsequent treatment.

Every penny earned went into finding a way to treat his colorectal cancer, which had spread to his lungs and liver, and he soon found a private clinic in Germany that could help him.

Just months later – and having spent £40,000 – the tumours on his liver have shrunk by 30% due to a combination of individually tailored treatment, immunotherapy and a vaccine.

But in a bid to help, friends of Matt have now launched an appeal to raise a further £120,000 so he can continue the treatment that could save his life.

Speaking from Madrid, where he is currently working, Matt, of St Peter’s Grove, admits he was hesitant at first about accepting money from people.

“In my professional life there is nothing I can’t fix,” he said.

“In this situation, it is one step beyond my ability to do so. It’s my health and an astronomical amount of money.

“It’s not my ideal situation to have to crowdfund, but I was faced with six to 12 months to live and a £150,000 bill.

“When my friend said to me about crowdfunding I just wasn’t sure what we would be doing it for.

“I thought if I was asking people for money, the least I could do was help them understand what the treatment was, so they could see categorically what it was for and that I was seeing improvements already.”

Matt said the money was for treatment that specifically targeted his tumours using chemo as well as immunotherapy and the production of a vaccine.

The combination has already led to a vast improvement in his health and the possibility of reducing his tumours completely in a matter of months.

Importantly, he says, he is using his own experience to raise awareness of the alternatives available.

“I became very despondent with what I was being told by doctors here – that there was nothing that could be done,” he said.

“I wasn’t expecting to find myself in a place where the options had run out. I was confined to having six to 12 months to live.

“My nature is to challenge everything, so I did. I wanted to prove them wrong. This is what took me to Germany.

“I feel now I have an obligation to make other people aware of the alternatives.”

Already the crowdfunding page has reached more than £4,000 in little more than a week.

Matt said: “The amount of people who have donated who don’t know me is the greatest demonstration of humanity. This is people willing to help another human being.

“We all as human beings are trying to preserve life. It’s the most precious thing we own. There is nothing more important than life, not even £150,000, and this has shown that.”

Matt said that if his treatment continued he could possibly go into remission.

“I’m 40 in July – I’m looking forward to it, as long as I can make it,” he said.

Matt’s friend, Joe Thomsett, of New Dover Road, has been raising awareness about the fundraising.

“Matt is strong-minded, he’s stubborn and he’s very much an evidence-based man,” he said. “He’s not a willing candidate for death. “It’s his character traits that have kept him alive while the rest of us would be dead.”

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/matt-burton.

A 30% decrease in the size of the tumours on his liver has given Matt Burton hope of recovery after previously being told he had months to live