A terminally ill father-of-two, who is a childhood friend of
former Girls Aloud singer Kimberley Walsh, has made a heartfelt plea as he
tries to raise thousands of pounds for cancer treatment.
Thirty-eight-year-old Mark Nurthen, from Utley, West
Yorkshire, was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer in 2011. He had his
right lung removed in July that year and managed to return to his job as a
sales manager eight weeks later when he was given the all clear. 
However, despite having gruelling rounds of chemotherapy,
the cancer returned in his remaining lung a year later. Mark, who is a dad to
Ava, nine, and seven-year-old Daisy, said the diagnosis made him feel 'like I
had died.'
'It's basically a nightmare. You wake up every morning and
it's like Groundhog Day,' he said. 'It's not the best to be honest with you.'
Part of Mark's left lung has collapsed twice so the only
option left is a drug called Nivolumab, a revolutionary immune therapy
treatment that is twice as effective as chemotherapy.
But the National Institute for Health Care and Clinical
Excellence said they will not fund the treatment as it is not 'considered a
cost effective use of NHS resources'.
However, a pharmaceutical company called Bristol-Myers
Squibb have been doing clinical trials with the medication and are seeing
results.
Each round of treatment costs £8,000 and it is unclear how
many rounds Mark will need.
'Getting the cancer was just bad luck,' he told FEMAIL.
'I've never tried cigarettes and it's not linked to smoking.
'When my family found out that the cancer had returned they
were devastated. It is a very rare cancer and the only treatment option
available is the drug I am raising money to fund.'
Mark, who has stage four cancer, has not been told how long
he has left to live and is trying to prolong his life to see his daughters grow
up: 'It's a slow growing cancer. The NHS won't fund the Nivolumab treatment
because it is too expensive.'
In order to raise money for the treatment Mark and his
family have set up a funding page and are raising awareness through his celebrity
friend, Kimberley Walsh.
The pair grew up on the same estate in Bradford and have
remained close since.
He said: 'She's a lifelong friend. How supportive have she
been? Amazing. She has donated money but the amount is private.'
He added: 'Cheryl Fernandez Versini and Denise Van Outen
have offered support. Also Nicola Roberts, Amir Khan and Talksport Radio have
donated and tweeted my fundraising page.'
With help from his showbiz pals, Mark raised over £20,000 in
just a few days. He admits he has been surprised by all of the support: 'I
can't thank people enough. I'm totally shocked by people's generosity.'
Kimberley Walsh told ITV: 'If there is anything at all that
could keep Mark here for a few more years, with his two daughters, he has to
have it.
'How can you tell somebody there is something out there that
could actually help them, could prolong their life, could potentially shrink a
tumour by a considerable amount and not give them it?'
She added: 'I am so grateful and overwhelmed by everybody's
generosity. I hope we can keep it going because there's still along way to go.'
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