CHRIS and Alan Nelson are planning to sell their York home of more than 30 years to help fund Chris's continuing battle for health.

The Evening Press reported recently how the York cancer patient had staged an amazing recovery a year after embarking on a 200-tablets-a-day complementary therapy regime.

Doctors told the 57-year-old Heworth woman, who was diagnosed as terminally-ill two years ago, that she was now considered to be only chronically ill, and Chris was convinced that the improvement was down largely to the complementary therapy.

Hundreds of well-wishers, including many former colleagues at Nestle Rowntree, have raised thousands of pounds to help pay for the expensive treatment. The most recent event, a Christmas flower demonstration by Fiona Hogg, at Stockton-on-the-Forest village hall, raised £1,200. Chris said she was eternally grateful for the fundraising efforts, which she hoped would continue.

But she said she and her husband had now decided that additional, more radical action was necessary if she was to keep taking all the tablets, capsules, injections and enemas that she needed.

She said that over some of the year, she had been unable to afford a significant proportion of the complementary treatment recommended by her London specialist.

The couple have in the past sold treasured items, such as Alan's guitar and modest shareholdings in his beloved football club, Partick Thistle.

The Nelsons are now planning to put their home on the market to raise sufficient capital to ensure Chris never again has to turn down treatment because of the expense.

She said: "It was something we just had to do. We desperately need enough money so that I can continue this treatment without having to stop because of lack of money."

She said they had lived in their semi-detached home in Heworth Hall Drive for 32 years and had for a long time been reluctant to sell up, but had now decided it would not be too painful a wrench.

"It's not as bad as it seemed, we can still get a nice property - just smaller."

Alan added that the sale was market-dependent, and it could be several months before it went through, so continued fundraising was vital.

Updated: 10:33 Tuesday, December 07, 2004