Classy Crystal Palace gesture to Hartlepool manager’s wife battling tumour

Crystal Palace have donated to a fundraiser for Hartlepool United manager Graeme Lee’s wife, who has an inoperable brain tumour, and are encouraging their supporters to do so too.

The Premier League Eagles will take on League Two Hartlepool at Selhurst Park in the FA Cup on Saturday, with Lee's wife Gemma, in attendance.

Gemma, who is a mother of two, was diagnosed with a rare grade four glioblastoma in January 2019 and given just 12 months to live.

Despite that diagnosis, the 40-year-old continues to defy the tumour with the aid of trial medication from Germany, which costs £5,000 a month.

A fundraiser was set up by her pal Beth Badman a couple of months ago to try and ease the family's financial burden – and it has now attracted the attention of Crystal Palace.

Ahead of their tie with Hartlepool, the Eagles tweeted: "The club have donated to the fundraising appeal of @Official_HUFC manager Graeme Lee’s wife Gemma, who is looking to raise £60,000 to fund her next 12 months of treatment for a life-threatening brain tumour".

The club also provided a link encouraging supporters to donate to the appeal. It said: "Supporters are encouraged to donate to the fundraising appeal of Hartlepool manager Graeme Lee’s wife Gemma, who is looking to raise £60,000 to fund her next 12 months of treatment for a life-threatening brain tumour.

Don't miss a thing with our football updates!

Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?

Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star football email newsletter!

From the latest transfer news to the agenda-setting stories, get it all in your email inbox – don't miss a thing.

How do you sign up?

It only takes a matter of seconds.

Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article and hit 'subscribe'.

And that's it, job done. You'll receive an email with all of the top news stories every single morning.

You can find out more information on our email newsletter on this link here.

"Gemma was given just 12 months to live in 2019 following a cancerous brain tumour diagnosis. However, following an exhaustive search for alternative treatments, the family found a trial drug from abroad, costing £5,000 a month.

"The club were made aware of Gemma’s condition, and are asking Palace fans to who’d like to help to donate what they can via the family’s Just Giving page".

The donations page has been inundated with responses from Crystal Palace fans ever since the tweet went out.

Badman, who organised the appeal, posted a message on the appeal website thanking the Premier League club for their support.

She said: "We can not express our gratitude and thanks enough to Crystal Palace for this tweet and their donation tonight, which has truly started the ball rolling.

"Thank you to everyone who has spared something to give to this cause, your generosity has not gone unnoticed. Tonight many people who love Gemma are emotional over the sheer support.

"If you’ve given thank you, if you’ve shared thank you, if you’ve retweeted thank you, you are all making a difference. Grateful for all of you wonderful people".

Lee, who starred for Sheffield Wednesday, Doncaster, Bradford City and Notts County during his playing days, said the efforts were "massively appreciated".

"I know for my wife and my dad at the moment, anything anyone is willing to do and step up…

"I’ve had so many people since my wife (was diagnosed) step up, people who you don’t even know who come forward and help and want to help, and they don’t realise how much that helps families and people who are suffering, so anything like that, well played to them and fantastic."

As of 9am on Saturday, the appeal has raised just over £39,000. You can help fundraise for Gemma by clicking on the following link.

Source: Read Full Article