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LEESA HARKER raised £25,755.5 from 1106 supporters
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Closed 08/06/2017
Iʼve raised £25,755 to Help Melanie Kennedy get the cancer drug she needs to live. This drug is available in the rest of the UK but Melanie is being denied it.
- Belfast, United Kingdom
- Funded on Thursday, 8th June 2017
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Story
Melanie Kennedy was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer in 2013. Since then, she has been through several harsh chemotherapy regimes, lost her hair TWICE , had a mastectomy and is currently in the position where the drug she needs to live is not available in Northern Ireland. Melanie's only chance to stay alive to bring up her two sons (16 and 5) is to get 'Kadcyla', a drug that is widely available in the UK, except Northern Ireland. Melanie has campaigned to help patients like her to get this drug and last year she took a petition to Stormont to get discussions going about this injustice. However, as we know, Stormont is in crisis and the likelihood of these lifeline drugs becoming available to help Melanie is slim.
Melanie has considered upping her family and moving to Scotland to get the drug she so desperately needs. And with no family or friends across the water, she will struggle with her two children, one with special needs. So I have convinced her to allow me to fundraise the £22,000 she needs to get the treatment here in Northern Ireland, privately. And believe me, she put up a fight! "What about everyone else who is in my boat? Who is going to help them?"
My answer, "You will. But you need to be well yourself first to be able to fight this fight on behalf of everyone else!"
So here I am, asking you to ditch your Friday night takeaway or your bottle of wine - or even your cappuccino and donate that money to Melanie Kennedy. She REALLY REALLY deserves it.
I have EVERY faith that people in Northern Ireland will help Melanie to live, not only for her two sons but to be able to fight to get these drugs for our people. 1 in 2 of us will get cancer, it could be you needing these drugs.
Thanks for reading, Leesa Harker x
Updates
3
- 7 years ago
LEESA HARKER
7 years agoThanks so much everyone for all your donations. Melanie has started her life saving treatment and is doing well. x
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- 8 years ago
LEESA HARKER
8 years agoAbsolutely amazed and delighted that we have gone over the target! Any excess donations will go towards helping someone else in the same boat as Melanie. There are so many other people that don't have a voice or won't ask for help and our Health service are failing them. You can follow Melanie's Facebook page to see updates on her treatment THAT YOU HAVE PAID FOR and also anyone else that we help. Thanks again you literally have saved a life. Pat yourself on the back! DO IT! RIGHT NOW!! Leesa xx
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- 8 years ago
LEESA HARKER
8 years agoAmazingly we have over £2000 already! Melanie is gerning and I'm delighted. Thank you all so much!! Please keep sharing. Leesa x
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LEESA HARKER started crowdfunding
Leave a message of support
Supporters
1106
Anonymous
Jun 4, 2017
Good luck.
Orlaith O'Kane
Jun 1, 2017
Good luck with the treatment..Orlaith O'Kane x
£10.00
J McCracken
May 30, 2017
Wishing Melanie all the best. Inspired by her story and her lobbying for equal rights to this treatment.
£10.00
Anonymous
May 30, 2017
My own wife on US trial drugs for cancer which we pay for. Good luck in your fight. Touched by your story
£10.00
Norbert
May 26, 2017
Good Luck
£10.00
Joan Richardson
May 21, 2017
Best wishes Mel
£10.00
Anonymous
May 20, 2017
As promised Mel, a donation from selling one of my pictures x
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LEESA HARKER
Belfast, United Kingdom
I met Melanie in 2013 when we were both getting chemotherapy for breast cancer.