A race against time

THE family of a young Southside man is in a race against time to save his life after a rare form of liver cancer struck him down.

Twenty-year-old James Gill, from Whitechurch Close, Rathfarnham, has one last chance at survival if he gets treatment at a specialist hospital in New York.

James has spent his last three birthdays in hospital receiving treatment after he was diagnosed with a rare form of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma.

Fewer than 200 new cases are diagnosed worldwide each year.

Despite numerous chemotherapy sessions using various types of drugs and surgery that included removal of part of his liver and his gall bladder, CT scans have revealed further progression of the disease.

His only hope now, his family has been told, is to be admitted to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where he can undergo a clinical drug trial.

However, the

?¬80,000 cost to send the soccer mad lad to New York has proved too big a mountain for his family to climb and they are appealing for help to give James a fighting chance.

“He’s a battler,

? his mum Geraldine said last week,

“but he needs this operation. The people in Tallaght Hospital are the best, James loves them, but there is only so much they can do.

“We need to get him to New York but to be honest

?¬80,000 is just too much for us. We need help raising the money, we really do.

?

Geraldine told how her fighter of a son had refused to take his condition lying down.

“His motto is

‘it’s my life and I have to live it’ and he tells me not to worry about him,

? Geraldine added.

“He’s something else. He took up a nursing course in Dundrum to keep his mind off everything and he still watches his favourite team Arsenal on TV every time they’re playing. He also follows Shamrock Rovers but sadly he hasn’t been able to see them play since the season started due to his illness. He refuses to give up but he’s getting weaker as the weeks go by.

?

The six foot tall footballer, who played underage soccer with Broadford Rovers, first felt pain in his side three years ago. It was assumed to be caused by his appendix but tests revealed that he had been hit by the particularly rare form of liver cancer that occurs in only one in every million people.

Even as his family and friends rally around him, according to his cousin, Louise Browne, time is running out for James as the cancer has now spread to his stomach.

“Sadly time is the one thing we don’t have,

? she said.

“He’s currently on a three month chemo session that is due to finish around the middle of April. Also, he’s receiving blood transfusions on a weekly basis.

?

Despite his troubles the big-hearted youngster, who has taken part in various charity fundraisers himself in the past, tries not to let the illness get the better of him.

In his posts on his blog (www.jamesgillfund.com) he writes with stoicism about the challenges he faces.

“Then, like a fighter, I had my chemo and another blood transfusion. This will be 12 or 13 since Christmas, so my mum said. If it wasn’t for the good people donating blood I don’t know where I would be as my blood levels drop so fast.

“That’s why it’s so important to give blood as it can help a person to stay alive. While I was getting the blood my mum went home to do the school run to get my brothers and sister. Then that evening my dad brought me home where my mum had the fire lit and a hot water bottle ready for me as I always feel the cold now.

“After I had something small to eat mum told me about going on the radio as someone from the station wanted to meet me and let me know how taken aback they were to see how young I am to be going through this rare cancer I have.

?

He adds:

“After the long day I had it was nice to see someone who wanted to take the time and show they cared. So please donate so I can get better and live the life of a 20-year-old where I can go and have fun with my mates instead of been tired and drained all the time.

?

The family say any donation small or large would be appreciated and an account has been opened in Bank of Ireland, Dundrum under the name James Gill Cancer Fund. Account No: 20193524. Branch code: 901095.