A MAN from Kidderminster has got a huge tattoo of Prime Minister Boris Johnson on his stomach in a unique fundraising effort to help a local woman get life-saving cancer treatment.
Kenny Wilding, 42, wanted to help family friend Megan Smith, 25, who was diagnosed with advanced stage four rectal cancer in January 2019.
The Smith family are hoping to raise £150,000 to pay for Megan to complete a clinical trial in the US, which she started in December thanks to money raised so far.
The tattoo, which took two hours to complete, shows the PM grimacing on the construction worker's midriff with his chin resting just above the belly button.
“It all started when I saw Megan’s GoFundMe page and saw she needed to raise money to save her life,” Kenny said. “It is her last chance of survival so I wanted to do something to help.
“I have other tattoos, including a big hunting scene on my back, and chose to get Boris tattooed on me as I thought it would raise a lot of money.
“I think Bozza is a legend and have never seen anyone with a tattoo of him.”
Kenny also had a tattoo done on his arm in May 2020 that says Meg's Army, as a tribute to Megan's cancer fight.
He was inked by his friend Gaz Pegler at Small Circle Tattoos last November, raising £800 for the cause.
The tattoo would normally have cost £200 but the money was donated by a friend.
Kenny said: “It hurt – you could say I nearly wet myself.
“At first I thought I might regret my tattoo of Bozza, but everyone loves it.
“I will never regret doing it as it was for a special young lady.”
Megan was initially misdiagnosed with Crohn’s disease and haemorrhoids before finally receiving the tragic diagnosis two years ago.
Doctors also found she has a rare type of mutation, KRASG12V, that only occurs in 8 per cent of rectal cancer patients. The mutation is highly aggressive and makes the cancer spread faster.
She has been referred to the Keck Medical Centre in Los Angeles, California, to undergo treatment, but the family still needs to raise enough money for Megan to complete the course.
Megan’s sister, Terri Smith, 34, said: “When Kenny first told us that he was having a Boris Johnson tattoo done to raise money for Megan's treatment, we all laughed but thought it was a brilliant idea.
“It’s so relevant with everything going on at the moment and definitely something Kenny would do as he's very humorous and loves nothing more than to make people laugh – even more so during difficult times.
“The support that everyone has shown so far has been so overwhelming but absolutely amazing.
“My sister needs all the help and support she can get to help fight this awful disease and me and my family are so grateful for everything everyone's done."
To make a donation to Megan's appeal, visit gofundme.com/f/please-help-save-my-26-year-old-sisters-life.
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