We did it!
Holly Brown raised £144,586.1 from 2164 supporters
or
Start your own crowdfunding page
Closed 09/02/2024
Iʼve raised £144,586 to help daddy survive cancer, just like his daughter!
- Dorking, Surrey
- Funded on Friday, 9th February 2024
Don't have time to donate right now?
Story
----------------
** UPDATE ** Richard has now sadly left this life. Please see updates below. I am currently leaving this page open in case anyone wants to donate to myself, Evie and Mabel during this time. xxx
----------------
We have a problem, a big problem. But we have a plan, a ray of hope in pioneering immunotherapy treatment, and we need YOUR help to make it happen.
My much-loved husband, Richard, has brain cancer. Or as our two young daughters, Evie and Mabel, call it... “the brain bug”. But our story starts before Richard, not long ago, when our youngest daughter, Mabel, also had cancer.
- MABEL & RICHARD -
It was the start of the pandemic in 2020 when our daughter, Mabel, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL), a type of blood cancer. She was 2.5 years old. It was the start of lockdown, and so an incredibly isolating time for our child to face cancer. Thankfully, she pushed through over two years of punishing treatment, losing all of her hair, and she made it. She beat cancer, and in September 2022, she started school. Richard lovingly supported our beautiful little girl all through her treatment, slept next to her in hospital and held her hand every step of the way.
However, unbelievably, just before this chapter closed, another one started. By some horrific coincidence, exactly two months to the day before Mabel was to finish her treatment, in May 2022, Richard had a big and unexpected seizure. This seizure led to his devastating diagnosis of a high-grade, brain tumour called Glioblastoma (GBM). Our world was turned upside down, once again.
Richard showed immense bravery through awake brain surgery to biopsy the tumour. He then started the standard NHS treatment of 6 weeks of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and a further 6 months of chemotherapy. But this treatment is not a cure. It is buying time. At the end of chemotherapy, the waiting begins for the tumour to regrow.
Richard struggles immensely with the reality that he didn't get to see the end of his child's journey with cancer, before starting his own. On the same day that Mabel "Rang the Bell" at hospital to celebrate the end of her treatment, with cake and balloons and all her favourite nurses, Richard had already been to radiotherapy in another building, and it took all his courage not to cry and to focus on the celebration. Our eldest daughter, Evie, also suffers the consequences of not only her sister in treatment for cancer, but now her daddy. "Why?" she asks. "Why did this happen twice in our family?". There is no answer, but there is hope.
- THE SOLUTION -
Thankfully, there are other treatments available for GBM. Richard has just started cutting-edge immunotherapy treatment in Germany, and the creation of a personalised cancer vaccine. These work by taking cells from the patient’s specific tumour and creating a vaccine which teaches the immune system to identify and attack it. The vaccines are injected into the patient every month initially, approximately over the first year, and then less frequently thereafter. These personalised vaccines have had incredibly positive results - some people have gone into remission or long exceeded their initial prognosis. But these treatments are not available on the NHS or through private health insurance. They are only available in Germany and America, and are very expensive.
- FUNDRAISING -
This is why we are fundraising for Richard. We need to cover the costs of this pioneering life-saving treatment, and also the cost of travelling to Germany every month to access it. We cannot possibly afford this without your help.
Richard is a much loved daddy, husband, son, brother, uncle and friend to so many. Please help us in any way you can, big or small, to reach our goal and secure his treatment.
PLEASE (1) Share this page, (2) Give whatever you can, (3) Do a sponsored run / cake sale / mountain climb... whatever you can! Please if nothing else, help us spread the word and share this page. CLICK 'SHARE' at the top of page for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, WhatsApp and Email.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Holly, Richard, Evie (10 years) & Mabel (5 years) xxx
EMAIL: daddysbrainbug@gmail.com.
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/daddysbrainbug
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/daddysbrainbug
Updates
14
- 1 year ago
Holly Brown
1 year agoGoodbye - Part 1… I am so sad to share the news that Richard has now left this life. He died peacefully just before sunrise on Saturday 22nd July 2023, after 8 weeks of loving care at Princess Alice Hospice. I lay with him all night, holding him. Richard’s sister, Lizzie, came when the time was close and together we held a special and loving place while he parted this life. Richard, I will always love you, as will your girls. You were an absolute warrior for our family and I am so in AWE of you. xxx Continued...
Share this update to help us raise more
- 1 year ago
Holly Brown
1 year agoGoodbye - Part 2… I want to thank EVERYONE who supported our fundraising. Without you, we wouldn’t have been able to afford any of Richard’s treatment abroad. Without that treatment there couldn’t have been any hope for recovery. You allowed Richard to take the most positive and promising steps possible against his disease. You therefore shaped our family’s experience so it was held with HOPE. I thank you again, from the bottom of my heart. Love Holly, Evie, Mabel and most importantly, Richard. xxx
Share this update to help us raise more
- 1 year ago
Holly Brown
1 year agoSo Proud - Part 1... Richard has just returned home from two weeks in Germany where he was given the opportunity to try a new and very promising form of immunotherapy treatment. Richard underwent a second surgery, this time to insert two catheters directly into his brain, allowing immunotherapy treatment to go directly into the heart of his tumour. This involved spending two weeks as an inpatient in a private hospital, all funded by Daddy's Brain Bug. So thank you to everyone who has helped us so far, we are so incredibly grateful! Continued...
Share this update to help us raise more
Holly Brown started crowdfunding
Leave a message of support
Supporters
2164
Anonymous
Nov 21, 2023
RGAW
Oct 17, 2023
Bless you and your two children and the strength to heal your grief.
£5.00
Ina
Sep 28, 2023
...i have no actual words... i wish i had some. Sending you strenghts and love.
£20.00
Jane
Sep 21, 2023
Good luck Richard Just heard you on radio 5 . Sorry I can't afford to give more .Good luck Jane
£2.00
Annie
Sep 15, 2023
So very sorry to hear this sad news.
£100.00
Jude, 6W xxx
Sep 4, 2023
We’re so so sorry for your loss xxx
£50.00
Anonymous
Sep 3, 2023
Words seem so inadequate. So desperately sorry for your loss. Sending you all love and wishing you strength.
£50.00
What is crowdfunding?
Crowdfunding is a new type of fundraising where you can raise funds for your own personal cause, even if you're not a registered nonprofit.
The page owner is responsible for the distribution of funds raised.
Great people make things happen
Do you know anyone in need or maybe want to help a local community cause?
Create you own page and donʼt let that cause go unfunded!
About CrowdfundingAbout the fundraiser
Holly Brown
Dorking, Surrey
Hi, I'm Richard's wife, Holly. PLEASE do anything you can to help. If you have a fundraising idea or want to make contact please email daddysbrainbug@gmail.com or use the contact link below. Thank you so much for your support, Holly, Richard, Evie & Mabel. xxx