House sale to fund cancer bills

The couple need to raise 61,000 euros or £48,000

A couple from north Oxfordshire have put their house up for sale to help pay for a relative's cancer treatment.

Rizvan and Laura Doda, from Banbury, have already paid 41,000 euros (£33,000) for their brother-in-law's liver cancer operation.

But further complications mean medical costs have spiralled and a further 61,000 euros (£48,000) is needed.

The couple said it was "more important to save a life" and an "easy decision" to put their house on the market.

Mr Xhita, 33, is originally from Albania but is being treated at a hospital in Germany.

Mrs Doda said: "I think we knew more or less straight away that it was more important to save a life than the price of a brand new car. There is no comparison."

He had to have a second operation after complications with the first... which is why the costs have spun out of control Laura Doda

Their house in Beaulieu Close is priced at £179,000 and they hope it will free up enough capital to foot the bill.

But they are uncertain if they will face further bills in the future.

The Dodas need to sell their house within three months to meet the German hospital's deadline to pay up.

But Laura Doda is worried that the credit crunch may impact on their sale.

"He had to have a second operation after complications with the first.

"That's obviously increased the cost and delayed his recovery which is why the costs have spun out of control a bit.

"It's not the best time to be selling. We need to sell as soon as possible - we really, really need to sell."

But the couple, who also have an eight-year-old son, are optimistic they will sell the house and raise the money they need to pay for Mr Xhita's treatment.

"The doctor's think they have removed all the cancer and he also had Hepatitis B but they are curing that as well and hopefully he'll make a full recovery," Mrs Doda said.