Family of Peterborough man with rare cancer battle to raise £50,000 to give him chance of recovery

Dedicated runner and non-smoker Charlie Paton was devastated when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 terminal lung cancer at the age of 39 in 2023.

Doctors swiftly identified the illness as ALK positive non-small cell lung cancer and Charlie and his family then started coming to terms with a median life expectancy of only seven years.

However, exhaustive treatment, including chemotherapy, could not halt the disease.

But there was hope when Charlie and his family secured a place for him on a ground-breaking clinical trial, specifically designed for ALK-positive patients in Virginia, in America.

Unlike traditional medication that Charlie has exhausted, TRI-611 works by tagging the cancer-driving proteins for destruction by the body’s own machinery.

It is a new way of targeting Alk positive cancer, and could prove to be life-changing as well as life-saving.

Charlotte Paton writing on the family’s Gofundme page stated: “Miraculously, and thanks to a wonderful clinic in Virginia, USA, we managed to secure a space for Charlie in a site just outside of Washington D.C.

“This will be an amazing opportunity and a vital chance for us to be able to extend Charlie's life.

"The trial itself is free but Charlie needs funds to cover frequent flights, accommodation and other medical costs not covered.

She added: “Charlie has spent the last few years of his life trying to fight a disease that no one has ever overcome.

"The brutality of chemotherapy with no cure has been torturous physically, mentally and emotionally.

"But he is not ready to give up, and with the potential of TRI-611, he doesn't have to.

"Every donation, no matter the size, brings him one step closer to Virginia and this life-saving opportunity.”

If you would like to support Charlie Paton and his family please visit the Gofundme page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-charlie-access-lifesaving-triana-trial