Leeds family in desperate plea to raise £100,000 to fund dad's life-saving cancer treatment
A Leeds family have launched a desperate £100,000 fundraising plea to help save the life of a dad who was told he only has months to live.
Earlier this year Naveen Gulati, 50, was diagnosed with stage 4 head and neck cancer and given just 6-12 months to live but his family are now launching a desperate fundraising effort to fund a potentially life-saving new treatment that is only available in the United States.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, his brother Sandeep described the family as “throwing the kitchen sink” at every possible avenue to try raise the funds and give Naveen more time with his wife and 15-year-old son.
Sandeep said: “We are reaching out to publications – local and national, celebrity influencers, charities. We are literally throwing the kitchen sink at it, anyone and everyone from friends and family to social media contacts just to make people aware.
"In three days we’ve raised over £2,500 just through friends and family but hopefully once we gain some traction people will help in whatever way they can. I’m also looking at other alternatives trying to take out loans etc. We are not normally people who would ask for help, but as a family we need to know we have done everything we can to give Naveen the best chance of beating this.”
Due to limited NHS treatments for this stage of the disease, the family are fundraising to get other progressive treatments which might be available stateside, including special immunotherapy, to give Naveen the best chance of survival.
A loving family man, prior to his illness Naveen was often found visiting and checking up on elderly relatives and neighbours even providing food packages.
Sandeep added: “He is a very family orientated person. Very loving, very caring, he likes to enjoy life, travel and loves his food. If you come to his place you’re not leaving without eating and he’s the kind of person you would want standing next to you in the good and bad times.”
Naveen, who finds himself in near constant pain, briefly told the YEP: “You just feel lost, you just feel kinda betrayed by life but my family they come first and my son – that’s my achievement.”