Dear Immediate Family, Palace Family and Friends,

As many of you are aware I was sadly, and suddenly, diagnosed with tonsillar/base of tongue throat cancer in January this year after my left lymph gland became swollen towards the end of 2017. Two days before diagnosis  I ran three miles in the  gym, rowed 3,000 metres, rode 10km on a bike, did some weights, and boxed a punch bag for 10 minutes, 

My first biopsy in December was negative but as the lump didn't reduce a second "Fine needle aspiration" was called for by the Multi Disciplinary Team and I was given the devastating news on 11th January 2018.

A subsequent biopsy of the lump itself showed that the tumour  was Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) positive, and the result of a virus that had probably been passed to me in my late teens and had lain dormant for decades. Many strains of HPV such as chicken pox, shingles, and verrucas are harmless but some are deadly and can be transmitted by kiss, touch, sharing drinks or other forms of intimate activity. Over 80% of us in our late forties and early fifties have either had HPV or may even still have it. HPV also causes cervical cancer in girls and there are now suggestions that it is linked to prostate cancer in men too. 

Those of you who have been following my story in the Mail on Sunday will be aware that a vaccine against the deadly strains of HPV was discovered called Gardasil and has been offered to young girls in year 8 for many years. My own daughter Katie who is now 24 was vaccinated but boys haven't been vaccinated even though they can acquire the deadly strains of HPV. My son Ben is 20 and was not vaccinated and I now have to pay £500 to get him protected privately. The Mail labelled this as "Immunisation Apartheid" and I supported their campaign, written by David Rose and spearheaded by Jamie Rae of the Throat Cancer Foundation. Jeremy Hunt, Health Secretary, has now agreed that Gardasil will  be offered to boys in year 8 which will eliminate all risks to them of acquiring throat cancer. An announcement is imminent this month.

Cervical cancer in young girls has declined drastically in recent years whereas throat cancer is now the biggest increasing cancer in The London Borough of Bromley. Gardasil will halt this in it's tracks. Throat cancer affects females and males too.

I have written a 50,000 word blog which I hope to give to a charity as a support resource for fellow sufferers as I found little to support me when first diagnosed. My treatment was harrowing and was described by a consultant to me as "medieval." I had to have 30 sessions of radiotherapy, as well as chemotherapy, at a cost to the NHS of circa £50,000. Three shots of Gardasil will protect our boys for less than £100.

Radiotherapy involved having a mask fitted across my face and chest which was bolted down by ten screws. I lost the ability to talk for 4 weeks, lost all sense of taste for months, suffered awful mouth ulcers, lost all facial hair, now have no saliva,  and even today, 11 weeks after therapy finished, can not eat many foods or drinks. Swallowing remains extremely painful, my tongue is always on fire and with no saliva it is difficult to maintain hydration.  Chemotherapy caused terrible mouth ulcers, the worst I've ever experienced. Please see the pictures below of the medication I had to take daily, including liquid morphine.

The Guy's Cancer Centre were fantastic and in the 70th anniversary of the NHS I hope that you can spare a donation and support this cause. One in two of us will get cancer and if you are lucky not to you will certainly know someone who has it.

I have a PET scan on 16th July with the results due on 25th when I will discover my fate and the success of the treatment will be determined. I hope for good news, but if not, I will take comfort from having supported The Mail on Sunday and the Throat Cancer Foundation in securing the future health of all boys and our girls, whose parents opt for them to be vaccinated.

Our fundraising day at The Holmesdale Pub, 1, Selhurst Road, London SE25 5QF is on the 29th July from 12.00 noon.  We hope to have some ex Palace players in attendance, there will be an auction, a barbeque and the pub has a large garden and is child friendly. It would be great to see as many of you there but, appreciating that it is holiday time, if you can't make it any donation, however small, is most welcome.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.