St Helier Hospital doctor's colleagues aim to raise thousands for his 'only option' of cancer treatment abroad

Dr Tomasz Soltysinski, 45, needs to raise €45,000 for therapy for his stage-four tissue cancer in Germany unless he is accepted on to a medical trial.

Trials of the treatment are not yet licensed in this country.

After the doctor told his ex-colleagues at the Wrythe Lane hospital about the trial, they decided to try to help raise the funds for the treatment.

Dr Soltysinski had 28 cycles of radiotherapy and surgery in April last year, after he first noticed a painless lump “the size of a golf ball” in his thigh in 2014.

He said: “I was just running around in the department and all of a sudden needed to sit on the chair, thinking something was wrong with my thigh.

“I found a lump. It wasn’t painful but it was the size of a small golf ball.

“It was during the Christmas period so it was a busy time, but I asked by colleague to have a look. We were very suspicious that it was cancer and I was quickly referred to the Royal Marsden.”

He returned to work after six months sick leave, but another six months later he was told he had four metastatic cancerous tumours in his left lung and one in his liver.

Since February he has been on a “rough” course of chemotherapy, which initially slowed the growth of the tumours, but so far the treatment has been unable to clear the cancer.

Colleagues have set up a fundraising page to help Dr Soltysinski, pictured, raise funds

Dr Soltysinski, who lives with his two children, Agata, 18, and Greg, 14, in Crystal Palace, said the treatment in Germany was now his only option.

After researching possible treatments he came across American oncologist who runs trials of a treatment called oncopheresis in Germany, which the father of two hopes will help combat the cancer more effectively.

Dr Soltysinski said: “He has come up with an idea that he can [find] a way of removing some proteins blocking my immune system, but there is not enough evidence for the treatment to be licensed in this country yet.”

“Hopefully I can get the treatment as a trial patient, which would mean I wouldn’t have to pay for it, but they have not said yes or no at this point.

“If that doesn’t happen I will have to pay for it myself, and it is very expensive. I have no other options at this moment.”

His colleague, Tina Beckett, 50, who has worked alongside Dr Soltysinski since he first started work at the hospital as an agency doctor in 2008, has set up a fundraising page.

Staff flew to Poland to celebrate Dr Soltysinski's birthday with his family in March

Ms Beckett, A&E coordinator at the hospital, said: “I’ve got a lot of respect for Tomasz as a doctor. He’s a great doctor, and he’s well-loved amongst everyone in the A&E department.

“We’re all rooting for him, and want to help him out as much as we possibly can.”

A&E staff have arranged a cake sale in the hospital’s main canteen to help raise further funds for the cause and hope to hold a stand-up comedy night headlined by a former doctor at the hospital in August.

Twenty hospital staff members, including Ms Beckett, flew out to Poland and joined Dr Soltysinski, his family and friends for his birthday celebrations in March.

The doctor said: “Tina came up with an idea to raise money for the treatment, and I am so chuffed that people would think to do such a thing. I need to say a huge, huge thank you to everyone involved.

“I kept a strong connection with my colleagues, but I really didn’t expect this. It’s really moving.”

You can donate to Dr Soltysinski's appeal on his Gofundme page.