Life Saving Cancer Treatment

There comes a point in everyone’s life when everything stands still. For me it was the day I found out my partner, Lisa (35) has cancer (metastatic mucinous adenocarcinoma). We’ve been together for 14 years, and have 3 kids Paige (9), Owen (10) and Michael (17).      She is a beautiful person inside and out, and smiles no matter how much pain she is going through, she is our pillar and our family would collapse without her.       Lisa was diagnosed in 2018 with a rare form of cervical cancer and it had spread to her lymph nodes in her pelvic and spine area. She started chemotherapy and radio therapy soon after. After one chemotherapy and three radiotherapy sessions there were complications and treatment was postponed the following week as a new CT scan was needed.       A few days later on the morning of Monday 12th of November Lisa woke up with loss of vision, we called the cancer emergency team and they advised us to go straight to the RVI as soon as possible. After a few hours and numerous tests, the cause for her vision loss was multiple strokes. She was immediately taken to the acute stroke ward and after scans and more tests, by that Thursday we were told they had found a large vegetative growth (maranic endocarditis) on her aortic valve that required immediate surgery. We were transferred to the Freeman that night and Lisa was in surgery Friday morning. Luckily they were able to salvage her valve and remove the growth.       While in recovery Lisa’s Oncology team requested samples of lymph nodes from her neck for testing, and we were informed that the cancer had spread. A few days later Lisa was finding it hard to breathe and after a scan and more tests they found fluid on her heart and lungs and the platelets she was receiving were starting to block her aortic valve. Lisa was taken back to ICU and they managed to sort the platelet issue and she had two and a half litres of fluid drained from her chest.      Lisa eventually came home on the 7th of December just in time for Paige’s birthday and it was a lovely surprise for the kids.       A couple of months later after a lot of hospital visits for check-ups and observations, Lisa became breathless and the following day it was becoming harder to breathe, so we went to the Sunderland Royal hospital and after more tests and an x-ray, her right lung was found to be filled with fluid. A tap was put in her back to remove the fluid over an 11 day period in which the fluid was sent off for testing and Lisa eventually came home again. Within a week of coming home Lisa became breathless again, and after many Doctors looking at her previous scans and tests they came to the conclusion that the cancer is causing the fluid build-up and to form into pockets of fluid in her lung. Lisa was taken back to the Sunderland Royal hospital and then transferred a couple of days later to the Freeman to start chemotherapy to try and reduce the fluid.      We’ve been advised that the chemotherapy at this stage is not a cure and that it will only hold the cancer at bay “at best”. I believe after every difficulty there is hope and ease, with many hours of research the only treatment option available now is immunotherapy to save not just Lisa’s life, but our whole family’s. Lisa is not eligible for any NHS trials and the cost of this immunotherapy treatment is not something we can afford. Speaking with Ocologica who are completing the tests on Lisa's biopsies for the treatment, they are looking into UK options and if we have no luck, they have advised us of a centre in Germany. Creating this page for me is one of the hardest things I have had to write. My heart is poured out and we need your help and support. We are relying on you to give anything you can, no matter how small and if you can’t give, then please, it costs nothing to share this page, please.      Thank you, words cannot express how grateful I am for you even taking the time to read this. Kind regards Ray