Nathanael Lee has been fighting cancer for a year. Photo by Nigel Brown.
1 hr ago / Caroline Tilley, Senior Reporter / @carolinetilley1

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A TRAINEE accountant who is battling cancer is hoping to raise £50,000 to fund a treatment.

Nathanael Lee, who is 22, was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma in his neck, spine and chest.

After undergoing four rounds of chemotherapy, the masses in his neck and back are in retreat.

But his doctors have recommended a drug not available on the NHS to beat back those in his chest, which have not moved.

However, drugs for the 16 to 20 week treatment will cost £50,00
A fundraising page launched on New Year’s Eve has already reached £23,000 but more money is still needed.
Nathanael, of Wren Close, Colchester, said: “The consultant told me ‘congratulations, if you are going to get cancer, this is the one to get, this is the one we can beat’.

“Sadly, although we have made good progress, one of the three sites of the cancer is proving stubborn and, after four types of chemotherapy and months of other treatment, the mass in my chest is still there.

“’There is usually a good response rate in people my age but I seem to fall into a small category and my hopes are now on a drug which will stimulate my immune system so it recognises and kills the cancer itself.

“The drug I need, Nivolumab, is clinically effective but it is not available on the NHS for Hodgkin’s patients because of the cost.”
The money raised will pay for 16 to 20 weeks of the treatment. Unlike chemotherapy, Nivolumab does not attack cancer but stimulates a patient’s own immune system to beat the disease itself by recognising cancer cells as abnormal
If it is successful, Nathanael will receive stem cells from his sister Abigail Hardy, 32, who is a nurse at Colchester General Hospital. It is hoped the cells will further strengthen his system and prevent