Kids rally for cancer-hit footy coach
CHILDREN are rallying round their football coach by turning up at his front door to hand over money for him to get treatment in Germany for stomach cancer.
Mark Wealleans, 49, from Rainhill, was diagnosed with the disease in September 2016 after complaining of stomach pains.
Scans revealed that the disease had started in his appendix and spread to other vital organs in his stomach.
The dad-of-four has coached under-15s football team Knowsley South Celtic for more than 10 years and he also runs Whiston Vets, for players over the age of 40.
His wife, Lynn, and her sister, Jackie Draycott, started a fundraising page to give him the best chance of life with immunotherapy on the Continent.
Jackie said children from the football team and their school friends have been turning up at Mark’s front door to hand over bits of money to help in any way they can.
She said: “The football team are also organising a bag collection for all the kids to raise money.
“They are all devastated ● to be honest as they really look up to him.”
Jackie said Mark’s two boys, 14-year-old Dominic and Nathan, 11, are coping fairly well at the moment as the family have tried to shelter them while they deal with the shock of the diagnosis.
Mark, also dad to grown-up children Dean, 26, and Melissa, 24, is in Germany, undergoing his first course of treatment, after he and his wife Lynn remortgaged their house and pulled in all their finances to give him the best chance of life.
The money being raised now will fund a second treatment and so far more than £27,000 has been pledged to the JustGiving page, which can be found at www.justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/jackiedraycott-1
Jackie said that overall costs for flights and treatment could cost in the region of about £300,000.
She said: “People have been absolutely amazing, doing fundraisers and collections in the pub.”
She added: “We also appealed to people to donate him a virtual pint whenever a game is on and give the money to the page.
“As Mark would say, ‘still in the game’.
“Our aim is to keep him in it.”