A Bedford father of four is fundraising for urgent life-extending cancer treatment in Germany, after being diagnosed with an aggressive and incurable form of stomach cancer earlier this year.
Stuart Minty, 45, was told in January 2025 that he has Stage 4 Linitis Plastica, a rare and fast-spreading stomach cancer with very limited treatment options in the UK.
Under the NHS, he is receiving 12 rounds of palliative chemotherapy, but with just four rounds remaining, Stuart and his family are racing against time to access further treatment abroad.
In just over a week, a GoFundMe campaign launched by Stuart’s wife, Aileen Minty, raised over £40,000 of its £120,000 goal, and now it stands at just over £32,000 from its goal.
All drawing support from the public as well as celebrities, including Portsmouth FC’s Marlon Pack, author and illustrator Rob Biddulph, and parenting writer Vicki Broadbent.
“It’s difficult to understand how, after the final chemo session, we’re expected to just let the cancer grow and spread,” Aileen said. “Stuart has responded so well to treatment. We can’t live with the regret of not trying everything.”
After researching alternative options, the family found a specialist in Frankfurt, Professor Vogl, who offers a promising procedure known as Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization (TACE).
While in the UK TACE is only used for liver cancer, it is used more widely in Germany and elsewhere for other advanced cancers, including Linitis Plastica.
TACE involves delivering chemotherapy drugs directly to the tumour’s blood supply, followed by blocking the tumour’s blood vessels to slow its growth.
Although there are no guarantees, Professor Vogl says he is confident he can control Stuart’s cancer and prolong his life for longer than “the very bleak prognosis we have been given by the NHS,” said Aileen.
If all goes to plan, Stuart could begin TACE treatment two to four weeks after his final NHS chemotherapy session on 14 July.
Alongside this, the family is also exploring high-dose Vitamin C therapy in the UK to help increase oxidative stress in cancer cells and support other treatments.
“Stuart is my world,” Aileen writes on the campaign page. “This isn’t an easy ask, we’ve debated whether to fundraise at all, but the truth is, we can’t do this alone.
“We just need more time together. More birthdays. More memories. More life.”
Supporters across the country have already begun organising sponsored events and sharing the family’s story, determined to help keep hope alive for Stuart and his children.
You can find more information or donate here.
