Hartlepool boss praises Crystal Palace fans for wife's cancer care cash

An emotional Graeme Lee applauded fans after Hartlepool's FA Cup defeat by Palace

Hartlepool manager Graeme Lee says he will be "forever grateful" to Crystal Palace fans after they donated £60,000 towards his wife's cancer treatment.

Gemma Lee, 41, was told she had 12 months to live in 2019 following a cancerous brain tumour diagnosis.

But after chemotherapy and radiotherapy failed to shrink the tumour, she began a £5,000-a-month trial of a new drug.

Palace tweeted a link on Friday to her fundraiser and more than £61,000 was donated before Saturday's FA Cup tie.

The Premier League club also subsidised the travel of 4,700 Hartlepool fans who attended the game, which Palace won 2-0.

'Absolutely unbelievable'

"What Crystal Palace have done, not only for putting the buses on for the fans to come down but for what they have done for me and my wife is absolutely immense," Lee said.

"I am forever grateful and not just to the club but for the fans' support. The last time I looked it was over a year's supply of medication for my wife and for us to know that is absolutely unbelievable.

"The support and messages from the fans means as much, especially for my wife because the well-wishes and positive energy coming for her can only help."

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Lee said he had "massive thanks" to everyone at the south London club and would now "follow Crystal Palace and hope they have success going forward for what they have done".

Ms Lee started experiencing problems with her eyes and extreme fatigue after running a half marathon in 2018 to help raise funds for a friend.

Gemma and Graeme with their two children Grayson, nine, (second right) and Hadley, six

She had a brain biopsy but her tumour could not be operated on, while intensive courses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy were also unsuccessful.

In 2019 a Macmillan nurse visited the family to discuss palliative care, with the couple contemplating a memory box for their children - son Grayson, nine, and six-year-old daughter Hadley.

But after extensive research of alternative treatments around the world, they discovered a new drug called ONC201 available in Germany, which was in a trial phase.

'Kept Gemma alive'

The couple, who met 23 years ago and have been married since 2010, believe ONC201 has worked, with Gemma's most recent scans classed as "stable".

There have been fundraisers at several of Lee's former clubs - including Bradford City and Notts County - towards Gemma's treatment while another, Doncaster Rovers, have donated £10 from the sale of every home shirt towards the cause.

"£5,000 a month is a heck of a lot of money," Lee told the BBC last week.

"At times you are trying to add up where you are with it and how much you have got. We've had some amazing people - not just close family - who have heard about Gemma's story and donated.

"We have all gone through hell but there have been incredible gestures from people we have never met. These people have helped keep Gemma alive."

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira also paid tribute to the club's fans, saying their generosity in donating towards Ms Lee's treatment had made him "very proud".