A FUNDRAISING appeal to give a young dad the gift of life this Christmas has beaten its £8,000 target in just a week.

Married father-of-one Dan Hall has been battling an aggressive form of leukaemia for more than two years but the disease has failed to respond to NHS treatments including seven rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.

The 28-year-old is currently in hospital preparing for more chemo but is now pinning his hopes on accessing a drug called Sorafenib, which costs £4,000 a month and is needed for at least two months.

The drug is already used to treat liver and kidney cancers by blocking the enzymes, proteins and blood vessels that cancer cells need to grow. Recent trials have shown the tablets can also be effective in the treatment of blood cancers.

But because Sorafenib is still being studied for use in treating acute myeloid leukaemia, it is not available to Dan on the NHS.

Dan, a warehouse worker who lives in Ringwood, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in October 2014 after he'd been unwell for a short period of time.

The keen AFC Bournemouth fan has spent many months in hospital, away from his three-year-old daughter, Madison-Skye and wife, Kirsty.

He and Kirsty got married in August this year, just days after Dan underwent chemotherapy following a relapse.

Cherries player Marc Pugh and former players Shaun Macdonald and Tommy Elphick sent their good wishes.

The ceremony took place at the St Leonards Hotel in front of 170 friends, family and hospital staff.

After the wedding Dan said: "Regardless of the cancer, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and feel truly blessed to have such a loving wife and a beautiful little girl who I adore so much.

"Cherish every moment and every person around you because you just never know what is around the corner and what tomorrow will bring. Only time will tell.

"For now I’m enjoying married life and spending as much time as possible with my little girl and new wife.

"My aim now is to spend more time with friends and family and get back to Bournemouth games because even though I’m a season ticket holder, I haven’t been able to attend a single game for the past 15 months and I’m yet to see them in the Premier League."

He added: "I wouldn’t say I fear for my future. It’s more fear for what I would leave behind.

"My family means everything to me and I am so lucky to have created my own special loving unit.

"If there’s one thing to add, it is that no matter what is chucked at you, if it is true love, it will never die."

The fundraising appeal can be found at gofundme.com/dan-halls-medical-treatment