At Christmas, Helen was diagnosed with stage 3 oral squamous cell carcinoma — an aggressive, fast-moving, and devastating form of tongue cancer. Her pathology confirmed one of the most high-risk, treatment-resistant subtypes.

Surgeons removed 6cm of her tongue and lymph nodes from her neck. She had to relearn how to speak and eat — something most of us can’t even imagine. And yet, she did it with a smile on her face, while simultaneously raising awareness of this fast-rising cancer in young people.

Since then she has learned that whilst they got the tumour out with clear margins, it had travelled to her lymph and testing shows that there are metastatic cancer cells already in her body, and that these cells express markers that make them highly dangerous. If they’re not dealt with, a recurrence would give Helen just a 10–20% chance of survival.

And here’s the problem: the targeting of these circulating cancer cells is not available in the UK for this type of cancer. After consulting oncologists and searching worldwide, she found a specialised clinic in Germany offering integrative treatment designed to reach these cells. This approach combines advanced immunotherapy, targeted chemotherapy, and pioneering immune modulation — designed to work together to both stimulate her immune system and make cancer cells more vulnerable to attack.

But this kind of personalised treatment comes at a staggering cost.

She now faces another £75,000 which will cover critical treatment blocks this year and top-up therapies planned for next year. While Helen may need maintenance for several years, our focus is on simply getting her through the next year.

Helen worked at Papirfly for 7+ years, and was loved and valued by everyone in the company.

So, we are running the Vitality 10km in London on the 28th September to raise money to go towards her treatment. Any donations are greatly appreciated by all of us.