'Jack Grealish put £10k towards my husband's cancer treatment'

A mother of three said she was left "frozen in shock" after discovering footballer Jack Grealish had donated £10,000 towards her husband's cancer treatment.

Crystal Duffey, from Southport, launched a fundraising appeal after her husband, Leon Skapars, 36, was diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer and told he had between 12 months and three years to live.

She said Grealish's contribution could help fund clinical trials and give Leon more time with their three children.

"We had a cry when we saw it," she said. "£10,000 is a lot of money. But for our family, this could change our future."

Leon was diagnosed with sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma in August 2025, after five months of thinking he had kidney stones.

"Leon had been in and out of hospital since March," said Crystal, 31.

"He had blood in his urine and bad lower back pain, but we had felt reassured.

"We were told it was nothing to worry about, that he was too young to have cancer, that it was kidney stones and it would pass."

Crystal said Leon's diagnosis had come as a complete shock.

"We were completely devastated and blown away when they actually said they'd found an 8cm tumour," she said.

"We were still hoping it was just a benign tumour, but they told us that it was a very rare, aggressive form of cancer."

After immunotherapy in December and having a kidney removed, Leon was told in April that the cancer had spread to both lungs and the lymph nodes in his chest.

He had stage four cancer and was put onto the NHS palliative care pathway.

"Everything just came crashing down on us," Crystal said.

A clinical trial Leon was due to start in Manchester fell through, meaning the family had his tumour tested privately.

He was found to be eligible for a clinical trial at the MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Texas in the United States, where the cost for a place is $200,000 (£179,110).

"We knew it would take a lot to fundraise that sort of money," Crystal said.

"But we wanted to do everything we could to ensure he has access to the best possible care - and we can keep our family together."

Despite some steady progress, Crystal said she was worried they would never get close to their target.

But everything changed on Thursday, when Crystal saw the generous donation from Jack Grealish.

"Someone shared a video from Leon's Instagram page and put it on their story and Jack Grealish, the footballer, saw it and he donated £10,000," Crystal said.

"I was really shocked. I thought it must be a glitch or something.

"When I scrolled down to see the name I couldn't believe what I was seeing."

For the Everton-supporting family, the donation has been "incredibly emotional", Crystal said.

"I froze for a minute in shock," Crystal continued. "I woke Leon up and I really struggled to get the words out.

"We were both dead excited and smiling and then we just hugged and both had a little cry together because it's just so special."

She also said many fans from the Everton community had reached out with messages of support since the donation.

Cyrstal said: "Everyone who has messaged said, 'You're not fighting this alone, we are the people's team and we're all here with you'.

"We have got so much love and support around us.

"Now it feels like the trial is within reach and he is going to have that fair chance and opportunity to be here for the kids. We really needed this."

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