'I'm gobsmacked' - Stranger gives £11,500 savings to South Shields dad battling incurable cancer
“When I saw the post, I was so moved, particularly the fact Craig’s little girl could face growing up without her dad”
A South Shields dad with an incurable brain tumour said he has been left “gobsmacked” after a complete stranger donated £11,500 of his pension savings to hopefully help save his life.
Craig Dunn, 35, and his best friend John Hardy last month launched a fundraising and awareness campaign to locate a hospital and doctor willing to offer the devoted dad clinical trials to hopefully prevent the tumour, which has been removed, returning and to provide the funds for treatments not offered on the NHS.
Craig was diagnosed with medulloblastoma - a rare and aggressive brain tumour normally found in children - in May 2025 after experiencing severe headaches.
He underwent emergency surgery to remove the mass at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI), in Newcastle, before undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy at the Freeman Hospital.
In May of this year he was given the devastating news the tumour had returned. The tumour has again been removed but Craig has been told by doctors on the NHS that the tumour will “keep coming back” and has been given the prognosis of possibly only having up to a year to live.
Having recently married his wife Nabela in South Shields and with a three-year-old daughter, Serena, Craig is determined not to give up and is in the process of contacting medical experts both nationally and internationally in the hope of being offered an alternative prognosis and to access any possible clinical trials.
Craig’s plight has been shared across social media, and one of those to see an emotional video post by his best friend John Hardy, was Steve Tate, who lives in Seaburn.
Steve, 55, said: “When I saw the post, I was so moved, particularly the fact Craig’s little girl could face growing up without her dad. I’m not a rich man, but I had some pension savings, and I decided to donate it to help Craig and his family.
“I had been thinking about buying a new car, but that will only eventually get old and rusty. This is about potentially saving a man’s life. I just want to help make sure he can get the medical treatment he needs.”
Craig initially couldn’t believe the offer of the donation, until Steve invited him to his house to collect the money.
He said: “I’m gobsmacked that a complete stranger could do something like this. What he has done for me and my family is amazing. It has made a real dent in my fundraising target and is potentially helping to save my life.”
John, 37, added: “I think Craig’s situation really resonated with other parents across the region and I just can’t thank Steve enough. He is potentially helping to save my best friend’s life.”
Craig, who works for Northern Gas and Power, and John said Steve’s donation has acted as a catalyst in generating further donations, with around £149,000 of his £300,000 target now raised.
Craig said: “My company boss set up his own fundraiser with a target of £30,000 and said if people donated to raise this amount then he would match it. We achieved the total within 12 hours after Consultiv Utilities donated £30,000 and my boss doubled it to £60,000.”
Craig is now hoping to put the money raised to use and with John’s help is promoting his plight to as wide an audience as possible.
He said: “Medulloblastoma is a cancer which is often curable in children and so, although very rare in adults, I believe there will be a treatment out there. I know of similar cancers where people have taken part in clinical trials which have changed people’s prognosis.
“I know my cancer is incurable, but if a treatment can keep my cancer and bay and give me years rather than months to live - enough time to see my daughter grow up.
“We’ve already had some positive conversations with doctors in Germany and London and I do feel like I have more hope. I feel like I’ve got a fighting chance.”
Craig is basing his £300,000 target on the cost of similar private clinical trials and the number of treatments people have normally received.
On Saturday August 22, Holmside Park Arena activity centre in Chester-Le-Street is hosting a family fundraising day to support Craig’s cause.
You can also continue to support Craig’s cause by donating to his GoFundMe page and sharing his story.