Friends and family raise money for dad with incurable brain disease

Friends and family are raising money to help find a cure for a Newbury man with a one in a million disease.

Father-of-five Dave Wilson was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) in February this year and was given only weeks to six months to live.

CJD is a rare and fatal condition that affects the brain. It causes brain damage that worsens rapidly over time.

There is currently no treatment, meaning Mr Wilson is living with an incurable disease.

His loved ones are hosting a fundraising event on September 24 at Shaw Social Club in Newbury.

The evening of Northern Soul, ska and reggae is hoped to raise money to go towards CJD research.

The 58-year-old, who is hoping to celebrate his 25th anniversary with his wife Vicky, had been ill since last August but his symptoms were put down to vertigo.

Mrs Wilson said: “It’s such a rare disease, literally one in a million, and so to hear he had it was obviously devastating.

“It’s extraordinary Dave has lasted this long, but he’s so strong and such a fighter that it’s not a surprise.

“We’re trying to have a celebration every weekend while he’s still well enough to enjoy them, playing all his favourite music and surrounding him with his friends, who have been amazing.”

She added: “We celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary in September so we’re really hoping he makes it until then.

“It’s obviously a heart-breaking time for us and our five daughters, and we want to raise as much money as we can to help find a cure for CJD because we don’t want other families to have to go through this.”

All proceeds raised at the fundraising event on September 24 will go to The Cure CJD Campaign.

It is hoped that the money raised will support the use of an antibody drug developed for the treatment of patients with CJD.

Tickets to September’s event can be bought at Shaw Social Club or Mik’s Paints in Newbury.

Donations can also be made on Mr Wilson’s JustGiving page https://bit.ly/DaveWilsonFundraiser