Family fundraiser launched to save young farmer’s life

A farming family has launched a fundraising appeal to support 30-year-old Thomas Page, a farmer diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer in January 2024, after being kicked by a cow.

His sister, Katherine Page, is leading the GoFundMe initiative to fund alternative treatments not supported by the NHS.

With a £100,000 goal set, the fundraiser has already raised more than £57,000 in five days.

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“I never doubted that we would have support, but the response to our fundraising page has just been astonishing, I’m almost speechless,” said Katherine.

“The farming community is and always has been so amazing. We are completely blown away by the support.”

Tom, a tenant farmer in Oxfordshire, underwent surgery in February 2024, followed by several cycles of chemotherapy throughout the year following his diagnosis.

He developed sepsis twice during treatment and despite intensive care, by March 2025, doctors gave a timeline for his life expectancy.

“We refuse to accept that this is it for him,” Katherine wrote on the GoFundMe page.

“It simply cannot be for such a hardworking young man to be subjected to such a short life expectancy.”

Tom’s illness has significantly strained the family’s agricultural business, which he ran alongside his father, Basil.

“Illness isn’t something Tom is used to,” Katherine said. “He truly meets the stereotype of the overworked, underpaid farmer.”

Despite his diagnosis, Tom continues to take calls from customers and hauliers, offering support where he can.

The Page family, who lost their mother to cancer in 2017, are now seeking urgent funds for private, non-conventional treatments which they believe “will stunt and kill the cancer that’s killing Tom”.

“These other options are seeming to have real results on real people,” Katherine said.

“We, as a collective, are positive and looking forward. We are now in contact and having the conversations with the medical experts that could help.”

The fundraiser will also cover the costs of travel and round-the-clock care.

Any surplus funds may go towards supporting others through similar alternative treatments or setting up a charity to raise awareness.

Donations can be made via their GoFundMe page, with regular updates promised throughout Tom’s treatment journey.