Thanks for supporting our 24 hour gaming marathon!

We (Stephen Thorpe, Pete Maughan & Danny Higgins) will be completing a 24 hour gaming marathon on Friday 5th April. We're raising funds for Stephen's sister, Helen Copping, who has secondary breast cancer and is undergoing life saving treatment in Germany which costs around £5000 per treatment. We don't know how many she will need depending on how she responds to treatment, and so this effort is ongoing for Helen. Anything you're able to give is hugely appreciated.

Helen's story:

Helen is 45, she is a wife, mother, sister and friend who is loved by so many. She went through breast cancer and recovered fully, but now is facing secondary breast cancer and has been receiving treatment for three years in her bones, liver and chest nodes. She also had a hip replacement to stop the disease spreading in her bones. Whilst her bones and nodes are responding to treatments, her liver has not been doing so well.

In early March 2024, Helen went to Germany for her first private treatment, her options now limited in the UK. She is receiving targeted treatment for her liver in Germany, unfortunately this means the NHS will no longer provide care or treatment for her. With each treatment and trip to Germany costing around £5k a time, this fundraiser is to support Helen in continuing to receive the life prolonging treatment she so desperately needs.

Here's a few words from Helen:

Hello my name is Helen, I have secondary breast cancer to my liver, bones and chest nodes. I have been under the care of the NHS and unfortunately I have gone through lines of treatment very quickly. I'm a complicated case due to my liver containing 2 types of breast cancer, so I have never experienced a stable scan.

The NHS have only ever given me liver CT scans, you can imagine my shock when having a 3D MRI in Germany it came back that 80% of my liver has tumours in it. This is something I never knew and wish I had. Maybe I could have tried other treatment sooner. I feel upset and like I wasn't given all the info, I've always been proactive and, wanted to know everything. I was told MRI of liver is not standard protocol in the NHS. Even though another oncologist I spoke to from another region of the NHS was shocked I had never had one. But I can't afford to be bitter and will try and remain the positive person I feel I am.

I never imagined at 45 I would be unable to work and contemplating a terminal diagnosis, I feel I have so much more life to live. I want to be here for my daughter, family and friends. I'm not ready to give up this fight.

But there is hope for me in Germany. There is a specialist in the field of oncology/radiology called Dr Vogl who performs chemo embolisation as one of his treatments - it delivers strong chemo straight to my liver via a cannula in the groin. If this treatment works for me I am going to need quite a few, I really don't know how many.

With treatment, flights, hotel night before I'm looking at £5000 a trip at least. Then other costs to help support my organs and immune system, IV Vit C, oxygen chamber, bloods. I'm now, receiving no treatment from the NHS as they won't and can't support me with any treatment alongside this. So I have also paid for a chemo tablet from Professor Vogl to hopefully support me systemically (as in the rest of the body).

I'm sad and scared that I have to think about going to another country to have a treatment that in the UK I am not a candidate for due to the guidelines. Now I know how tight money is for everyone at the moment so even if you could just share I will be forever grateful ❤️