In September 2016 my family were dealt the cruelest hand imaginable. Aged only 54, my mum was diagnosed with stage 4 terminal stomach cancer; the exact cancer that her mum (my lovely nan) died of. History was repeating itself. I cannot begin to describe the fear that we (mum, dad, me and my 20-year-old brother) felt hearing the consultants’ say she has only 12 months to live. The cancer has also spread to the lymph nodes and peritoneum.
Pregnant with my first baby, what should have been the best time of my life, quickly turned into the worst. My mum is not only a wonderful mum, but also my best friend.
In an attempt to prolong her life, chemotherapy began, but it’s failing. The December scan showed the cancer has grown and spread.
Not only is the cancer resisting chemotherapy, she experiences agonising bone pain, permanent ringing in her ears, and when she eats is doubled up with stomach pain. I fear she won’t get the nutrition she needs to stay strong. Without help she will die.
With a background in clinical science, I began to research immunotherapy, an alternative to chemotherapy that is gradually gaining ground in cancer treatment. In simple terms immunotherapy stimulates your own immune system to work harder or smarter to attack cancer cells. There are cases where patients have gone into remission or been cured.
Sadly it’s not available on the NHS for stomach cancer. However it's available at The Hallwang clinic in Germany but it isn’t cheap and whilst we’re working hard to fund as much ourselves, I need your help.
My MUM is a loving, down to earth, and very humble lady who puts her family first. Always. An avid animal lover she is at her happiest when walking her dogs on the beach! Over the years she has made many sacrifices to give my brother and I the opportunities she didn’t have, expecting very little in return.
She has so much to live for, especially her granddaughter.
Please, make a donation to save her life, even if it’s a £1!
Thank you