A fund to help a musician receive cutting edge cancer treatment from the USA has raised almost £70,000.
Matt Long, 29, is a member of popular blues rock band Catfish. The award-winning guitarist/singer-songwriter lives partially in Carlisle with his partner, Samantha Leese, 34.
He has been fighting bowel cancer for just under a year but recently received news the cancer has spread. Without treatment, doctors have said he has until the end of the year to live.
While Matt and his family said they have exhausted all NHS options available – there is a treatment available in America.
Matt could have a sample of the tumour sequenced, which would give doctors a full insight into its make up and allow them to find the best drugs to slow the cancer down and even give them a chance to kill it.
But it’s an expensive, private procedure and the sequencing alone will cost £3,000, with any prescribed drugs costing a further £3,000 in the months following it.
If successful, the treatment would give Matt a 15 per cent chance of survival – which prompted Matt’s mum Fiona to launch a fighting fund for her son.
The family need to raise as much money as possible as the treatment will mean facing large costs that come as time passes with the treatment.
Matt, who has been sharing his journey on social media, said: “People had been asking for us to do a fundraiser after I announced everything that had recently happened, which I thought was really sweet.
“But I don’t like asking for money, so I was going back and forth on it, but my mum ended up setting one up and I was expecting a couple of hundred quid and here we are verging on almost £70,000.
“It’s just absolutely outstanding and I really just appreciate everyone’s generosity and care so much.
“I can’t express how thankful I am. Whatever happens with the treatment and whatever goes down, it’s so nice knowing the army of people who’ve had my back. It’s heart-warming, and I’ve shed many tears over it.”
After Matt explained his cancer had spread on social media, donations soared to over £50,000 overnight.
Samantha said: “We went to bed on the first night it was up and I said to Matt it might even go to £5,000 or £6,000 and when we woke up and it was in the tens of thousands.
“It’s just absolutely mind-blowing. There’s been a couple of times where we’ve opened the fundraising page and we just look at each other and don’t have any words.
“There’s been people who Matt hasn’t seen for years and people from all over the world donating.
“A lot of people know him as Matt from Catfish so he’s touched a lot of people’s lives that we don’t even really know and they’re donating too, it’s just astonishing.”
Fans, friends, acquaintances, old teachers and even some of Matt’s personal heroes have donated.
He said: “There are people donating who I have only met for a few seconds at a time and the fact they’re going above and beyond to donate and help is incredible.
“I’ve also had Walter Trout, an American blues rock guitarist donate, he’s a real guitar hero of mine and I’ve had Paul Jones donate, he was a BBC Radio 2 presenter and in Manfred Mann.
“He’s been a really positive influence on my life and like an uncle to me and he’s donated a lot too. But it’s also come from friends and family and people just giving their hearts out.
“It’s been a really emotional time and I appreciate every single penny. I’m really truly grateful and it’s going to mean the difference between life and death really.”
Some people have also started their own fundraisers for Matt – including benefit gigs, sponsored events and more.
Musician Alex Voysey has also donated funds from the first week of downloads of his new album and blues rock venue The Tuesday Night Music Club are giving £1 from every ticket indefinitely until Matt no longer needs help.
Samantha added: “There’s been a lot of our colleagues in the blues rock world who are putting on a fundraiser gig and if what we’ve heard is right, the gig is probably going to rival most festivals with its headliners.
“Even without the money, the support has just been incredible. We’ve always thought of the blues rock world as a family and this is just proof that we’re right.”
Bands including Carlisle’s Hardwicke Circus have also shown their support for Matt’s fundraiser.
Matt added: “I can’t express how thankful I am. Whatever happens with the treatment and whatever goes down, it’s so nice knowing the army of people who’ve had my back. It’s heart-warming, and I’ve shed many tears over it.
“I’ve been preaching for a while now at my gigs, if you feel anything, any kind of symptoms, go get it checked out while you can. Nip it in the bud as soon as you can, apparently mine has been in me for years.
“Don’t be super paranoid about everything but do get yourself checked. They don’t even test for the kind of cancer I have until you’re in your 60s.
“So if you’re able to go get checked out and keep taking care of yourselves.”
