Football fans raise £50,000 to help Sheffield Wednesday cancer victim

Kind-hearted Sheffield Wednesday players, including first team stars Kieran Lee and Sam Hutchinson, are among those to have donated to help Andy Kalinins’ wife, Hayley, extend her life.

Hayley, aged 35, launched an online campaign to raise the cash for the treatment in the US, admitting that she fears ‘time is running out.’

The mum-of-four, who is married to the man tasked with keeping Sheffield Wednesday players fit and healthy, has been battling breast cancer since 2011.

She has an aggressive, unresponsive form of the disease, which has now spread to her liver and lungs.

Hayley has just completed her 70th gruelling chemotherapy session and wants to try alternative cancer therapies in the US in a bid to extend her life and see her children grow up.

Last night, more than 2,400 people had raised over £50,000 in six days through the GoFundMe online donation site.

Sheffield Wednesday’s Liam Palmer, Tom Lees, Michael Turner, Modou Sougou and captain Glenn Loovens, ex-Owl Lewis Buxton, who now plays for Rotherham United, former Barnsley and Owls midfielder Stephen McPhail, Preston’s ex-Owl Steve May and ex-Wednesday star Gary Madine – who played for Bolton against the Owls last night – are among those to have donated.

Wednesday’s manager, Carlos Carvahal, tweeted about the fundraising appeal to help spread the word.

Hayley’s husband, Andy, a qualified sports scientist, has worked at Sheffield Wednesday for more than a decade and oversees the players’ fitness and nutrition. He took a year off work when Hayley was first diagnosed with terminal cancer – just weeks after the birth of their fourth child – and she was initially given just eight months to live.

Hayley said: “In August 2011 I started chemotherapy and to this day I have been on chemotherapy every three weeks.

“Some of the chemotherapies nearly killed me, however I am still here and have just had my 70th chemotherapy treatment.

“I have responded to some better than others and have been on the most recent chemotherapy for the past 18 months.

“When I was diagnosed I was given just eight months to live, but have defied the odds.

“My husband and I have done endless research over the past year. I changed my diet in May 2015 and we started our research for alternative cancer therapies. The research has paid off and we have a new line of hope.

“The treatment will involve healing my body and building my immune system, plus lots of treatments that are not recognised here in England. I have spoken with ladies who have gone down this route and by healing their body they are still here years later.

“If I continue with chemotherapy any longer the harsh facts are that the chemotherapy will kill me and not the actual cancer.

“I desperately want to see my children grow and need your help in raising funds for this treatment, travel and diet. I never thought I would have to put a plea out like this but time is running out.

“Every pound will help to get me to America for this treatment and give me a chance to live a little longer.”

Hayley said she has been ‘blown away’ by the generosity of those who have donated money. She described them as ‘incredible’.

To donate click here