Raffle launched for Wolves fan as £22,000 raised to kickstart cancer treatment
A fundraising target of £22,000 has been smashed to kickstart a Wolves fan's cancer treatment - as two fans launched a raffle in her aid.
More treatment will be required for Claire Elliott, 52, who was first diagnosed with the disease in 2016.
As a result, a raffle of Wolves memorabilia has been set up by Louise Cobbold, a local artist, and Steve Plant, author of They Wore The Shirt.
Between them, they have donated more than £1,500 worth of exclusive prints.
Ms Elliot, who has watched more than 1,500 games, had NHS trial treatment cancelled in March due to the need for intensive care beds amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Since then her cancer has spread and no more trials are available.
As a result, her last chance lies with immunotherapy treatment in Cyprus.
A fundraising campaign, which was launched in March, has now raised £22,000 to pay for her first five cycles.
If this treatment is effective, she may need up to 35 cycles which will require more funding.
Ms Elliot is a former nurse turned lawyer.
The items which have been put up for raffle are: a hand-signed Conor Coady Wolves and England presentation; a They Wore The Shirt painting print by Ms Cobbold; a hand-signed print of Coady's goal against Wales; a Ms Cobbold painting of Steve Bull scoring on his England debut, signed by Bully and Paul Gascoigne; a print of a Ms Cobbold painting of Conor Coady and Ruben Neves; and a print of another Ms Cobbold painting.
Mr Plant, who has been friends with Ms Elliot for more than 30 years, said: "We know that the initial £22,000 is just the start of the process and we need to raise much more to help with further treatment.
"Hopefully this raffle, one of the biggest of its kind, will achieve this aim and, importantly, raise awareness of Claire’s story."
Ms Elliot added: "This year has been an emotional rollercoaster, from being told there was a good chance my terminal diagnosis would be reversed to then being informed my cancer had spread and I was looking at a few months to live.
"I’m amazed at what Wolves and football fans in general have done so far with over £22,000 raised, including one person who anonymously donated £3000.
"A massive thank you to Steve, Louise and Andrew [Cobbold] for this fantastic idea, which should hopefully help us raise more funds, whilst also raising the issue of cancer patients being delayed treatment and access to vital trials."
To donate, please visit Claire’s Go Fund Me page and visit wolvesmemorabilia.co.uk to buy tickets.
