I’m hosting a series of dinners over the summer to raise money for my friend Alex, who was diagnosed with grade 4 brain cancer at 23 years old last year.

Elya’s one of my closest friends and Alex is her brother who I’ve loved getting to know when staying with their family in the UK in 2019 and Christmas 2024.

Having reached the end of his treatment options on the NHS, we are raising funds so that Alex has the best possible chance to keep fighting. This means raising around £200,000 to cover the costs of a cutting-edge immunotherapy treatment available in Germany.

I’ll be bringing together and cooking for as many friends as I can and would be grateful for donations, big or small, to help Alex receive the treatment he needs and deserves, regardless of the cost. You can read about Alex’s story and the treatment this money will go towards below.

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Alex's story

In May 2025 Alex was having dinner with his friends at university in Liverpool when he suddenly fell ill. Our parents drove through the night to meet him in hospital where he underwent emergency brain surgery. He was diagnosed with a brain tumour and our worst fears were later confirmed when we were told that the tumour is cancerous and grade 4 (the most aggressive type).

Alex’s tumour is a very rare high grade glioma and is being treated as a glioblastoma, which typically carries a prognosis of 12-18 months even with current treatment.

Alex is an outwardly healthy 23-year-old and, like any university student, was enjoying his studies in medicine, living with his friends in his adopted hometown of Liverpool and looking to the future with excitement. He had been experiencing some unexplained sleep-related symptoms but had been reassured by his doctors that they were not concerning. It is hard to put into words how shocking this diagnosis has been for him and our family.

Alex has responded well to the surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy that he has received so far. However, Alex is only offered 3 more months of chemotherapy; once this is finished, he has reached the end of his treatment options on the NHS. The current NHS treatment protocol for Alex's tumour was introduced 20 years ago and has changed little since then, meaning that patients look to clinical trials or privately funded treatment for this type of tumour which is aggressive and likely to persist/come back.

Alex is not eligible for any currently open clinical trials, so his NHS medical team have advised that he looks toward private treatment to give him the best chance of fighting this.

There is not currently a cure for Alex’s condition, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that there are treatments available that can help Alex fight this illness.

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About Alex

Alex is the best of all of us. He is the kindest, funniest son, brother, boyfriend, friend and grandson, who always has time for other people and brings endless joy to all of us. Despite receiving this diagnosis so young and at the beginning of his adult life, he has faced it with his characteristic strength, humour and optimism. He is halfway through medical school and determined to return to continue his studies in September 2026, and recently graduated his Masters course (which he finished after receiving his diagnosis) with distinction. He is the youngest sibling and baby of the family and we are all so very proud of him.

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Treatment next steps

We have consulted leading experts in brain cancer and researched a number of treatments. Alex’s medical team have advised us about a cutting-edge immunotherapy treatment available in Germany. Immunotherapy activates the body's own immune defences against the tumour and is most commonly used alongside surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy (all of which Alex has had and responded very well to). Whilst it is not yet available on the NHS, results have been promising, and the treatment is generally very well tolerated with few side effects. We have included a link to the relevant clinic’s website below.

Costs for immunotherapy including treatment (multiple required rounds), insurance and travel are around £200,000.

We know that this is a huge goal to try and achieve but we cannot let these costs get in the way of Alex receiving the treatment he desperately needs and deserves.

We would be incredibly grateful for anything you can do to support our family, big or small, to help Alex access treatment which will help him fight this diagnosis, whether by donating or simply sharing this page far and wide to give this the best reach possible.

We will continue to be guided by the experts, Alex’s wishes and his condition if this changes over time. Therefore the exact treatment that we put these funds towards may change subject to emerging scientific developments and advice, but all donations will be used solely for treatment purposes and any excess and all gift aid will be donated to the brilliant charity Brainstrust, who have been supporting us as a family.

We are so thankful for all the support we have received so far. We are stronger together and we continue to remain hopeful for the next steps in Alex’s journey,

Alex's older sisters

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*https://www.iozk.de/en/the-iozk-immunotherapy/iosc-immunotherapy/

*This appeal is a restricted income fundraising partnership with, and under the umbrella of brainstrust, a Charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales as Charity No. 1114634, and registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator as Charity No. SC044642. brainstrust are providing administrative and fundraising support to this appeal, and others of a similar nature. brainstrust does this to help people access novel therapies and treatment more easily and safely.

brainstrust’s mission is to help people in the UK to feel less afraid, less alone, more confident and more resourced following a brain tumour diagnosis. Gift Aid recovered, surplus funds, and funds that are not applied for the primary purpose of this appeal will be used for public benefit to help others diagnosed with a brain tumour.

brainstrust registered office: 4 Yvery Court, Castle Road, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7QG, UK.

www.brainstrust.org.uk