Our story

We’re a family of cousins who are lucky enough to feel like a cross between friends and siblings, even with the big age ranges between us. Having grown up together, most of us have changed someone’s nappies along the way, turned to another for support and some wise words, and been witness to some interesting hairstyles over the years.

Since the beginning, our times together have always been food-filled, game-soaked and embodied by a sense of ease, belonging and comfort because of our unspoken closeness and understanding. It’s only as we’ve gotten older that we’ve realised how rare this dynamic is: to see your cousins as your close friends who you’ll happily travel hundreds of miles for, just to hang out together.

In a miraculous way, the 11 of us (plus our partners) have always loved simply being in each other’s company.

But last year, our worlds were shaken.

That little guy in the middle is Henry, and very shortly after his 20th birthday and starting his second year at Durham University, he was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer.

The treatment journey

Since his diagnosis, the doctors were amazing at getting into action quickly. They formed an extensive treatment plan for Henry including six weeks of radiotherapy and 10 cycles of chemotherapy. Additionally, he’s undergone two major surgeries, which included the removal of several organs and the fitting of two stomas. It was during this surgery in March 2024 that doctors discovered the cancer had progressed to stage 4, but thankfully, the surgery was a success and Henry was deemed cancer-free afterwards.

Due to the aggressive nature of the cancer however, after recovering, Henry underwent mop-up chemotherapy this summer to cover all bases. All was going well and he was on track to get back to normal life as a 21-year-old after a challenging year of illness and treatment, until his final cycle was to start in September.

After a routine scan, we received the truly devastating news that the cancer had not only returned but spread extensively across his abdomen, making it now incurable and terminal - an immense and crushing shock to all of us as well as his medical team.

Today

Despite all this, Henry remains hopeful and determined to live life as fully as he can – a real testament to his brilliant and beautiful character. Now, his wish is to spend as much time as possible with family and friends creating invaluable memories with them.

Henry has recently started palliative chemotherapy, which aims to slow the progression of the cancer and give him as much time as possible to do all the things he wants in the time he has left.

To support Henry, his sister Natalie, and our aunt and uncle, we are fundraising to help with the financial difficulties that come with this new diagnosis, including treatment costs. It really does feel impossible to put a price on the chance for more time together but bevacizumab, one of the chemotherapy drugs that can extend life, is only available privately and costs over £3,000 per two-week cycle.

Our hope with fundraising is to help ease the added worry of finances so Henry can focus on spending quality time with his loved ones, without the burden of growing expenses on top of managing his health.

We’re reaching out for your support in any way you can - whether through a donation, sharing our fundraising efforts, or simply keeping Henry in your thoughts during this incredibly surreal and difficult time. Every contribution, no matter how small, will help give Henry the best chance to enjoy his time with us and live as fully as he hopes.

Thank you all for your love, kindness, and support. It means the world to Henry and our entire family.

From, The Cousins xx

(Charlotte, Trisha, Sam, Vikki, Kingston, Lawrence, Olivia, Lola and Moonie)

*Update*

We’ve all been utterly overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and love you’ve all shown. We couldn’t imagine raising so much in under 12 hours - from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

From this, we’re now increasing the target to try to raise as much as possible for Henry and his family. Our hope is that, in addition to medical costs, the support will allow Henry to travel to see his friends and family and really enjoy his life, during a time when his parents aren’t able to work as they normally would.

Again, any contribution however small is so hugely appreciated, and thank you again for all the love and kindness you’ve shown already - The Cousins xx