Written by: Alex Green
Greg Gilbert, the charismatic frontman for the Delays has been diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer.
The diagnosis came just two weeks ago, on the same day his daughter turned one.
The thirty-nine-year-old singer/guitarist of the Southampton outfit was also informed that the disease has spread to his lungs.
Gilbert’s fiancée Stacy posted the following statement about his condition and diagnosis:“Greg has been treated for IBS for a while and his GP didn’t think it was a major issue. Gastro consultants and dieticians had confirmed the IBS diagnosis. At the end of October, Greg was experiencing some severe abdomen pains and vomiting that led him to be admitted to A&E. After an x-ray, we were told that they had a found a cancerous blockage in his bowel. After further investigation, we were told the devastating news that the bowel cancer has also spread to his lungs and because of the extent of these tumours, they would only be able to offer him a 12 week course of chemotherapy as he is currently not a candidate for surgery to remove the primary tumour in his bowel. We were told this heart breaking news on our daughter Bay’s 1st birthday. I cannot put into words the terror and shock of this moment. To hear Greg ask the consultant how long he had left to live is the darkest moment of my life and something that will haunt me forever.”
She went on to add: “The NHS is limited in what they can do to save Greg but there are new, ground-breaking treatments available privately in Germany and Finland such as stereotactic therapy, microwave ablation and personalised immunotherapy that have had astounding results on others that share the same prognosis.”
A GoFundMe campaign dubbed Give4Greg has been started and is hoping to crowdfund £100,000 for Gilbert’s imminent medical treatment.
Stacy explains further: “These treatments are expensive. We are using all of our own money but it is nowhere near enough. Like most people in the UK, we have no private medical insurance so it is hard to comprehend that we need to raise at least £100,000 to give Greg any chance of survival. Greg has begun his chemotherapy but we need money to be able move quickly when this finishes in mid March.”
Led by Gilbert and his brother Aaron, The Delays are a beloved indie outfit. Gilbert’s falsetto has powered three of their four records into the UK Top 30 and though their last album was 2010’s Star Tiger Star Ariel, the band’s fifth album is partially recorded.
Posting on the band’s Facebook page, Aaron had this to say about his brother’s diagnosis: “It has come as a huge shock to us all and feels like a tidal wave of dark has washed over us. I spend my days worrying about things that never happen and then this sweeps in like a hurricane through the side door. I can’t even for a minute imagine a world without my brother in it, it doesn’t even nearly fit into my tiny mind and never will. The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do was walk into the hospital ward that day to see him after he’d been told they were limited as to what they could do for him and he’d just asked how long he had left to live. Wow, it all still feels so surreal just writing it down again.Resolute, we have dusted ourselves off,taken a deep breath and gathered strength for a new advance. Greg started his chemotherapy last week and is being his inspired self, smiling on brightly.”
