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Owain James

Owain James is crowdfunding

0%
£70,542
raised of £250,000 target by 2481 supporters

Weʼre raising £250,000 to help fund new treatment options for Owain, which are not available on the NHS #FundsForOwain

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Story

My husband Owain is 34. He’s a football-loving plumber from Caerphilly and together we have a little girl who is 18 months old. In September 2022, out of the blue, Owain was diagnosed with a incurable Grade 4 brain tumour and we were told that if no action was taken, he would have a few months left to live.

At that moment, our lives were turned upside down and we made a promise to each other that we would do anything and everything to have as much time together as we could.

We have gone with everything the NHS has to offer. An incredible team of surgeons at the University Hospital of Wales have removed as much of the tumour as they could without impairing Owain. The course of radiotherapy he is having is using the full amount of radiation one person can have in their lifetime and chemo-wise, he is on the most suitable NHS-approved drug. We are desperate for more time with Owain and there are additional treatments out there that would give us more time, but sadly, they are not available on the NHS.

We have done our research, liaised with our Oncologist and there is hope. Immunotherapy (DC Vax) is a viable option for Owain. It has just completed the phase 3 trial and the clinical evidence shows some really promising results, but it comes at a very high cost. Essentially, a biopsy sample is taken and a vaccine is produced for Owain, specifically to fit his unique tumour. Then his body takes over and fights the cancer itself. The cost of manufacturing the vaccine is £200,000, with additional medical expenses on top.

Optune is also a viable treatment, and available to people in Owain’s situation, in both Germany and the US, but sadly, the NHS does not see it as cost effective. It works in a similar way to radiotherapy, but uses electromagnetic waves to target the tumour. We have an appointment to speak to someone about how much this would cost for Owain, so all we know at the moment is that it’s approximately £20,000 a month.

Brain tumours are the biggest cause of cancer deaths in the under 40’s as there are such limited treatment options available. Not only do we want to have Owain for as long as we possibly can, we also want to make the case for why immunotherapy and Optune should be more readily available in the UK. It may not be deemed as cost effective for the NHS, but to us, he means everything.

Any donation you can make – no matter how small – will get us one step closer to these additional treatments for Owain. Every day is so precious to us, we just really hope we can have more.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking the time to read this.

Ellie x

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Updates

6

  • Owain James 3 months ago
    Owain James

    Owain James

    3 months ago

    Everything is going well, just wanted to provided a quick update; Owain has had 3 DC Vaccines, we’re now doing everything to increase his immune response including Intravenous Vit C, Helleborous, Artemisinin and an injection of Mistletoe therapy 3x per week. We are working hard to educate ourselves on how to block all the cancer pathways, with improved diet, exercise, supplements and off label drugs. Attached is a photo of Owains daily night routine of drugs and supplements. Owain has a scan at the end of the month so fingers crossed!!

    Update from the Page owner

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  • Owain James 4 months ago
    Owain James

    Owain James

    4 months ago

    We are really happy that Owain has now had his 2nd out of 3 DC Vax jabs, all has gone well so far, with no side effects and delivered by the amazing Professor Ashkan. We are now working on other complementary treatments that will help with his immune response, to kick this tumour into touch. Owain has also just completed his second cycle of chemo. All the fundraising so far has enabled us to access additional treatments & work on the best protocol. We are truly grateful for the continued support and generosity. #FundsforOwain

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  • Owain James 5 months ago
    Owain James

    Owain James

    5 months ago

    DC Vax Update ** The vaccine has now been made. Unfortunately, because Owain didn’t have much fresh frozen tumour saved, only 3 vaccines could be made - we were hoping for 8. This will still give Owain an immune response, but not as strong as we hoped for. This leaves us to push and focus on more fundraising for other treatments, to help stimulate the immune system. Thank you so much for your donations so far, it’s had a huge impact on Owains treatment options. We will continue with fundraising events this year xx

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8 months ago

Owain James started crowdfunding

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Page last updated on: 5/26/2023 19.17

Supporters

2481

  • Anonymous

    Anonymous

    May 26, 2023

    £40.00

  • Anonymous

    Anonymous

    May 15, 2023

  • Kevin Torode

    Kevin Torode

    May 1, 2023

    £5.00

  • Anonymous

    Anonymous

    Apr 26, 2023

    £10.00

  • Anonymous

    Anonymous

    Apr 18, 2023

    Thinking and Praying for you all xxx

  • Anonymous

    Anonymous

    Apr 11, 2023

    £250.00

  • Anonymous

    Anonymous

    Apr 8, 2023

    £5.00

Owain James

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Owain James

Owain James

#FundsForOwain

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