A 21-YEAR-OLD cancer battler is urgently appealing for help to raise the £200,000 costs of funding potentially lifesaving treatment abroad.

Chris Carberry, from Rainford, has been dealt a severe blow after being diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer for the third time in two years.

After undergoing more than 14 months worth of treatment and four operations for osteosarcoma, Chris was told he had two tumours in his abdomen and potentially others in his shoulder and ribs.

The news came just three weeks after the former Rainford High pupil completed a 40 mile handcycle of Hadrian’s Wall to raise money for a prosthetic leg that is unavailable on the NHS.

Chris, who worked as a builder before the illness, said: “It is what it is – just another hurdle I have to jump over.

“I know my chances are significantly lower now, but I don’t believe the best way to handle such issues is through looking gloomily over the statistics.”

Chris’s cancer battle began at the aged of 19 when he was diagnosed with the rare bone cancer in his leg called osteosarcoma.

After treatments did not prove as successful as he hoped, he chose to have his left leg amputated in March 2016 – a decision that was described as ”leg or life”.

After his latest diagnosis, Chris, an ambassador for children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent, has started a new chemotherapy regime at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre that will aim to shrink the tumours.

But given the severity and aggression of the relapse, he has began looking at alternative treatments and clinical trials abroad.

However, these cannot be funded by the NHS.

Pioneering ‘T Cell Treatment’ in the USA is one option Chris and his family are looking into, as well as ‘Dendretic cell therapy’ in India.

Such treatments are likely to cost hundreds of thousands of pounds, so Chris has set his current target at £200,000.

Chris added: “The treatments we’re looking into are relatively new in the world of cancer drugs, however they’re showing some very promising results in other countries across the world”

His dad, Steve Carberry, added: “With Chris’s cancer battle now entering a real uncertain phase, we’re hopeful the community, media and social media will come together to get Chris the treatment he needs.

“If anyone deserves it, he does.’’

Family and friends have launched several fundraising events to help him reach his target and are urging schools, people and organisations to get involved.

To donate visit https://www.gofundme.com/chris-lifesaving-treatment

For updates on Chris follow his blog on Facebook at The Next Step For Chris or on his website chriscarberry.co.uk.