More than £45,000 has been raised to support the family of a Bury St Edmunds golf professional following his shock cancer diagnosis.

Simon Byford, who has been a PGA professional for more than 10 years, is a familiar face at Bury Golf Club where he provides coaching sessions and he is also well-known for writing the golf column in the Bury Free Press.

He began suffering from a loss of appetite and stomach pains when eating in April and underwent a CT scan at West Suffolk Hospital on September 25 to investigate the possibility of Crohn’s disease. However, the results revealed he had Pseudomyxoma Peritonei – a rare form of abdominal cancer.

His wife Gina said the diagnosis came as a complete shock and within a week the couple were being transferred to Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, the only specialist hospital in the UK treating the condition.

“Our lives were flipped upside down,” Gina said. “It all feels like it happened so fast. Just two days before going to A&E, he was out coaching like normal.

“While we were extremely lucky to get that CT scan, it delivered news which just wasn’t on our radar at all.

“Being given that news in the middle of A&E was just devastating for both of us – it was like we had the rug pulled from underneath our feet.

“Though we were still processing so many emotions, the hardest part was having to tell the boys. We’ve just been honest with them, we’ve used the word cancer, we don’t want them to be scared of what’s happening.“

Simon underwent a 15-hour operation to remove as much of the cancer as possible but needed emergency surgery just 12 days later due to an issue with his bowel.

While Gina has been by his side in Hampshire, their sons Cameron, 12, and Lochlan, nine, have remained in Bury where they are being cared for by family members so they can maintain their normal routines.

Wanting to support the family, Simon’s friends and relatives launched a GoFundMe page to help cover everyday costs while both Simon and Gina are unable to work.

The page has raised a total of £45,515 which will go towards covering household bills, caring for the boys and fuel for Gina to travel between Basingstoke and Bury.

To donate to the page, click here.

“All things considered, Simon’s doing really well now,” Gina added.

“Like most people, we both have friends and family who have suffered with cancer and you read things all the time about people being diagnosed – but until it happens to you, you just don’t know where to go or what to do.

“Seeing the GoFundMe page take off with so many donations has just been incredibly overwhelming.

“It wasn’t even on my radar to think about our finances as all I could think about was Simon and the boys – I just thought we’d eat into our savings during this difficult period, but we know so many people want to give their support and I suppose this has given them a way to still support us.

“It’s touched us so much and even though we’re miles away, we are definitely feeling the love and saying thank you will never feel enough. You just can’t put it into words really. It’s just incredible.”