A YOUNG man's life hangs in the balance after he was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour - with the NHS refusing to fund treatment.

In his short life, Alexander Jones, aged 34, from Gillingham, has already undergone 14 major brain operations to remove tumours.

His consultants at Charing Cross Hospital say that his only hope of surviving this latest tumour is pioneering Proton Beam Therapy at a cost of £150,000.

This treatment is only available in the USA at The Cancer Centre, Boston. The NHS refuse to fund this and there is no effective treatment in the UK. His family have now set up a registered charity and are to launch a high-profile, fund-raising campaign to send Alex to the specialist cancer centre in the US for the pioneering treatment that he cannot get in the UK.

They also desperately want to raise awareness around the fact that there must be hundreds, if not thousands, of seriously ill people in the UK suffering a similar plight (there is treatment available, but the costs are prohibitive) and bring this to the attention of the Government.

Furthermore, they feel annoyed and let down that the necessary treatment is not available in the UK.

Despite suffering the series of devastating brain tumours throughout his life caused by a rare genetic condition, heroic Alex has trained for and run two London Marathons, raising more than £20,000 for the Brain and Spine Foundation.

A special website has now been created and a promotional video has been filmed, starring GMTV presenter Andrew Castle, who is backing the campaign and has previously fund-raised for the Brain and Spine Foundation, that will be added to social networking sites. To find out more and how you can help visit the website www.protonbeamalex.com or send a cheque made payable to 'Proton Beam Alex Fund' to: Proton Beam Alex Fund, P O Box 147, Shaftesbury, SP7 7AG.

All donations to the Proton Beam Alex Fund supported by brainstrust - registered charity no. 1114634 - will be used exclusively for treating Alex's brain tumour. Any money raised which is left over after Alex's treatment will be donated to charitable organisations supporting brain tumour research.