Our mother, Deborah has recently being diagnosed by lung cancer and due to the aggressiveness of the cancer the treatments being provided by the NHS will only work to prolong life and will not cure the cancer.

Just over a year ago Deborah visited her GP for aches and pains, a massive reduction in mobility, recurrent chest infections and bulbous fingers. Despite various tests being done she was given multiple diagnosis’s thought the year. Varying from a problem with a thyroid to “old age”. After multiple different medications and no improvement we realised the possibility that the problem was a little more sinister than “old age” so we pushed for further tests. She was referred to rheumatology and has to wait a shocking 3 months for an appointment because they did NOT suspect CANCER results came back via a telephone call!!! It was lung cancer. The rheumatologist has ordered a chest X-ray and found what the Gp didn't in 1 year. It was another two months later we was told what type of cancer Deborah has and treatment methods available.

A 7cm non small cell lung cancer in the form of a T4 tumour had developed in Deborah’s right lung had been the cause of her suffering. Still to date 8 weeks after being told she is not yet in treatment.

Going from being a fit and active 55 year old to being diagnosed with a life threatening diagnosis has taken a massive toll on Deborah’s mental and physical health and the various mis- diagnosis’s have left the entire family in shock and wondering “what if it was diagnosed a year ago”. With three daughters and 14 grandchildren (and another on the way) the realisation that our beloved mother and grandmother might not be around for much longer has pushed the entire family to look for alternative treatments.

The most effective treatment we have found for Deborah’s cancer is proton therapy. Unfortunately this is not a service which the NHS has offered to Deborah meaning that private treatment would be highly costly. We have contacted a proton therapy clinic in Prague and they are willing to look at Deborah’s CT scans to see if they would be willing to perform the treatment. Each round of treatment in Prague is £1750 and up to 20 rounds can be done. If they are unable to offer the treatment to Deborah we will continue to try alternative methods and treatments to cure the cancer and improve quality of life. Deborah is already on a strict cancer killing diet and is juicing up to a 2 litres of superfoods a day which is in itself expensive. She is trying to stay active but the cancer is making this increasingly difficult.

Proton therapy, or proton beam therapy is a type of particle therapy that uses a beam of protons to irradiate diseased tissue, most often in the treatment of cancer. This treatment method offers more precision than traditional cancer treatments such as traditional radiotherapy and chemotherapy leading to a greater success rate.

Despite the entire family pitching in from savings and putting every spare penny to treatment it still isn’t enough. Which is why we have turned to the public in an attempt to try and save her life.

At 55 Deborah still has so much of her life left and once cancer free she wishes to use her time to look after her grandchildren, travel the world and continue to be an avid animal lover.

Deborah’s bucket list consists of gazing upon the northern lights in Norway and traveling to Uganda to volunteer at an Orangutan orphanage. Following this she would like to retire in the British seaside town of Llandudno with two beautiful boxer dogs so she can be around the ocean and offer a loving and peaceful holiday spot for all of her grandchildren.

All in all Deborah’s survival lies within the most effective treatment. Unfortunately this is costly and when the savings accounts are empty and the houses have been remortgaged we will no longer be able to pay for treatment. This in essence is why we have turned to crowd funding. The more money we can put into treatment the greater Deborah’s chances are at living a long and fulfilling life. Any contribution is valued and appreciated. Please help us save Deborah’s life. She is the glue that holds our family together and we are not ready to stop fighting yet and neither is Deborah.