The family of a dad-of-four who was given just 12 months to live last month have pledged to pay back donations after discovering he could get a life-saving operation for free.
Paul Sumpter from Aberdare was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer last month and his family had raised £12,850 towards a life-saving operation they thought was only available through a private provider.
However they have since learned the news that the surgery is available for free through the NHS.
A statement from the family on Friday said they had been "truly humbled" by people's kindness and would be refunding any donations received.
“After receiving a private consultation in regards to our father’s cancer diagnosis we were advised that it may be possible after he receives treatment to have a lifesaving operation, which gave us great hope," they said.
“We made an assumption that we would have to pay privately for this kind of operation.
“However we have been informed today that this operation is available on the NHS at no cost to us.
“We would like to apologise for any harm this may have caused.
“We as a family have been truly humbled and inspired by people’s kind words and their generosity, any donations received can be refunded.”
Paul Sumpter's cancer diagnosis, which was made on April 23, came as a total shock for him and his family.
At the time the 51-year-old's family said their "lives changed forever" and said the diagnosis was a "complete shock."
"Our Dad is a dedicated family man who loves spending time and travelling with our mum Catherine and his four children (us) and his two granddaughters Ruby and Elsie," his son Daniel said.
"He is truly loved by all of us including his brother Elliot and sister Tracey.
"None of us are ready to say goodbye to our dad. So we and our dad have decided to fight."
The only cure for pancreatic cancer is an operation to remove the tumour, but it was too close to an artery to operate.
Paul's family launched a fundraising campaign after learning it was possible there was a 40% chance that, after three months of chemotherapy and one month of radiotherapy, he may be able to undergo surgery through a private health provider.
They initially thought they would need to raise £50,000 and launched an online campaign for donations. They had raised over £12,000 before being told about the operation's availability through the health service.
"The response has been amazing, and the support we have had has been amazing and it has given us all hope," Daniel had said of the fundraiser.
"The most important thing is that it has change dad's mindset. The support has given him the will to carry on and to fight this."
