Haverhill dad Phil Dear overjoyed at response to fund-raiser launched to help his terminally-ill daughter, 24

A dad who is raising money to enable his terminally-ill daughter to realise some of her dreams before it is too late says he has been ‘overwhelmed by people’s kindness’.

Just three weeks after Phil Dear began the fund-raiser on behalf of daughter Skye, 24, the total has smashed the £12,000 target that was set and is on the way to hitting £18,000.

Skye, of Haverhill but now living in Newmarket with her partner Cam Anderson, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer, in May 2022.

Phil launched the fund-raiser to enable Skye and Cam to pay for a wedding later this month at a venue in Sandy Cove, north Devon, and to be able to fulfill some of their dreams while there was still time left for them to do so.

With the the total now at more than £17,800 from over 750 donations to the GoFundMe page, more can be given by going to www.gofundme.com and searching for Philip Dear.

Phil, who lives in Haverhill, said: “All in all it’s taken away the worry of money so she can enjoy herself to the fullest.

“I couldn’t be happier for her. I am completely overwhelmed by people’s kindness.”

“It’s going to pay for whatever she wants.”

Commenting on the fund-raising page, Phil said of his daughter’s situation: “Doctors have urged her to start doing anything important she wants to do, and to do it soon.

“While they can’t give us an exact timeline, they’ve made it clear that the next few weeks and months are precious.”

So far the donations have paid for flowers and rings and dresses, explained Phil, as well as the wedding suite and all the ‘little hidden charges you don’t know about’.

The money will also pay for some trips out.

One thing the money will pay for is train tickets to Liverpool, where the couple will see pop singer Dua Lipa in concert at Anfield. The trip was made possible by the gifting of VIP tickets to the couple.

Phil has had to come to terms with Skye’s prognosis having already suffered personal tragedy at the hands of cancer.

His wife, and Skye’s mum, Gem, died in 2018, eight months after being diagnosed with chondrosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.

Skye has two sisters, Kelis, 20 and Sienna, 12.

The fund-raising is continuing, said Phil, until the middle of this month, or maybe the third week.

To further boost the fund-raising Phil and his partner Jayde will walk 26 miles along the Jurassic Coast of North Devon and Dorset today.