Liv wants to live
Donation protected
Hey! I’m Liv! I hope the exclamation marks make it sound like I’m an enthusiastic young woman who enjoys life. Because I am. Except not right now. Currently, I’m feeling crushed under the weight of the news that I’m being labelled a metastatic breast cancer patient with disease in my brain that’s grown back a mere month after a successful surgery removed it. It’s a head f*** — pun intended.
If it had all gone to plan with my treatment, I wouldn’t be requesting your help. The NHS saved me but I’m worried there will be a point where they have no options for me. I like being one step ahead and cancer has left me on the back foot which is why I’ve researched other available options, one of which has been groundbreaking when it comes to treating the type of cancer I have. People in similar situations to me have been sharing their success stories with a new Therapeutic B-glucan composition The drug modulates the human immune system and modulates the breakdown of cancer cells. In other words, it has sparked hope for people who have nothing else to cling to. People like me. The only thing is that it’s expensive. A months supply of daily single doses costs 680 euros and I have been recommended to take double the dose for the first 2 months to see how I get on because of the severity of my situation.
Every single person who I’ve shared my story with has flooded me with positive thoughts and energy, and asked if there’s anything they can do. I can’t tell you how important this is to me, for my health and sanity, to know that there’s still a viable option. That I still have hope. It’s hard to write down details of all the trauma I’ve experienced since being diagnosed but I want you to believe, as much as I do, that I’m worth it and won’t give up without a fight. throughout this I have always maintained a positive attitude whenever possible and it has kept me going this far. Anyone who knows me personally knows that I am not one to ask for much help or charity but I am doing this because at this stage I am looking for hope a glimpse of hope to finally get ahead of this disease rather than be constantly slammed with more bad news.
It all started with an unfamiliar lump in my breast. I certainly didn’t expect to be diagnosed with cancer — nobody does, do they? — and two days after Christmas (2019) no less. BRCA1 was what they labelled me as and I struggled to come to terms with how badly my genetics had let me down. Roll on 4 months of chemo (awful but effective) a lumpectomy and full lymph node clearance, 4 weeks of radiotherapy and then, finally... the all clear. Or so I thought.
I felt motivated after finishing treatment, like I had a new lease of life, and started my new job the following month. It wasn’t long before I started experiencing weakness in my left arm and left leg which prompted me to go to A&E. It was on that A&E CT scan that they found another lump, in my brain this time. A tumour. To top it all off, I also got Covid from being in hospital which delayed my treatment for said brain tumour. On 10/12/2020, my amazing neurosurgeon successfully removed the whole tumour and told me I didn’t need any further treatment. I felt absolutely brilliant after surgery and couldn’t quite believe what my body had recovered from. But, as I’ve grown accustomed to now, more bad news arrived. Just 5 weeks post-surgery, I started experiencing shooting pains in my head and severe nausea that tablets didn’t ease. 3 trips to A&E later in the space of 5 days — days where I couldn’t keep any food, drink or meds down — I finally got an MRI which confirmed that there was visible disease in my brain and my pain was a result of the swelling. This swelling led to 2 seizures in hospital. The first seizure started in my sleep before I was able to reach the call bell to get some help. The next thing I know I was awake in a puddle of blood from where my IV line had been ripped out of my hand from falling out of the bed during the seizure. Luckily, I was soon able to get the nurse’s attention by making any noise I could in my throat. At this point I was unable to move or talk. The nurse rushed in and luckily was there with me for the second seizure during which I did not faint, and despite all the reassurance the nurses gave me throughout I was convinced I was dying to the point I wet myself.
There are no words to describe how scary that experience was; the fear I felt during, and the fear of wondering what would’ve happened if I hadn’t been in the capable hands of medical professionals but alone at home with only my partner. Thankfully, my pain, nausea and swelling is now under control due to being given regular medication through an IV.
I can’t help but wonder what else will happen to me. But, so far, that’s all. And I’d like it to stay that way. Which is why I would be so grateful for any contributions, any messages, any support at all.
B-glucan reprograms the immune system to stimulate and destroy cancer cells, UAB Biocentras has developed a new, “Therapeutic B-glucan composition that modulates the human immune system and modulates the breakdown of cancer cells”. This preparation is patented in Lithuania. This newly develope drug was recognised at the best invention in Lithuania in 2015. The succes stories that were shared with me to do with this drug sparked a new glimpse of hope which I had briefly lost whilst I wait to hear for options from my Neuro and oncology team
If it had all gone to plan with my treatment, I wouldn’t be requesting your help. The NHS saved me but I’m worried there will be a point where they have no options for me. I like being one step ahead and cancer has left me on the back foot which is why I’ve researched other available options, one of which has been groundbreaking when it comes to treating the type of cancer I have. People in similar situations to me have been sharing their success stories with a new Therapeutic B-glucan composition The drug modulates the human immune system and modulates the breakdown of cancer cells. In other words, it has sparked hope for people who have nothing else to cling to. People like me. The only thing is that it’s expensive. A months supply of daily single doses costs 680 euros and I have been recommended to take double the dose for the first 2 months to see how I get on because of the severity of my situation.
Every single person who I’ve shared my story with has flooded me with positive thoughts and energy, and asked if there’s anything they can do. I can’t tell you how important this is to me, for my health and sanity, to know that there’s still a viable option. That I still have hope. It’s hard to write down details of all the trauma I’ve experienced since being diagnosed but I want you to believe, as much as I do, that I’m worth it and won’t give up without a fight. throughout this I have always maintained a positive attitude whenever possible and it has kept me going this far. Anyone who knows me personally knows that I am not one to ask for much help or charity but I am doing this because at this stage I am looking for hope a glimpse of hope to finally get ahead of this disease rather than be constantly slammed with more bad news.
It all started with an unfamiliar lump in my breast. I certainly didn’t expect to be diagnosed with cancer — nobody does, do they? — and two days after Christmas (2019) no less. BRCA1 was what they labelled me as and I struggled to come to terms with how badly my genetics had let me down. Roll on 4 months of chemo (awful but effective) a lumpectomy and full lymph node clearance, 4 weeks of radiotherapy and then, finally... the all clear. Or so I thought.
I felt motivated after finishing treatment, like I had a new lease of life, and started my new job the following month. It wasn’t long before I started experiencing weakness in my left arm and left leg which prompted me to go to A&E. It was on that A&E CT scan that they found another lump, in my brain this time. A tumour. To top it all off, I also got Covid from being in hospital which delayed my treatment for said brain tumour. On 10/12/2020, my amazing neurosurgeon successfully removed the whole tumour and told me I didn’t need any further treatment. I felt absolutely brilliant after surgery and couldn’t quite believe what my body had recovered from. But, as I’ve grown accustomed to now, more bad news arrived. Just 5 weeks post-surgery, I started experiencing shooting pains in my head and severe nausea that tablets didn’t ease. 3 trips to A&E later in the space of 5 days — days where I couldn’t keep any food, drink or meds down — I finally got an MRI which confirmed that there was visible disease in my brain and my pain was a result of the swelling. This swelling led to 2 seizures in hospital. The first seizure started in my sleep before I was able to reach the call bell to get some help. The next thing I know I was awake in a puddle of blood from where my IV line had been ripped out of my hand from falling out of the bed during the seizure. Luckily, I was soon able to get the nurse’s attention by making any noise I could in my throat. At this point I was unable to move or talk. The nurse rushed in and luckily was there with me for the second seizure during which I did not faint, and despite all the reassurance the nurses gave me throughout I was convinced I was dying to the point I wet myself.
There are no words to describe how scary that experience was; the fear I felt during, and the fear of wondering what would’ve happened if I hadn’t been in the capable hands of medical professionals but alone at home with only my partner. Thankfully, my pain, nausea and swelling is now under control due to being given regular medication through an IV.
I can’t help but wonder what else will happen to me. But, so far, that’s all. And I’d like it to stay that way. Which is why I would be so grateful for any contributions, any messages, any support at all.
B-glucan reprograms the immune system to stimulate and destroy cancer cells, UAB Biocentras has developed a new, “Therapeutic B-glucan composition that modulates the human immune system and modulates the breakdown of cancer cells”. This preparation is patented in Lithuania. This newly develope drug was recognised at the best invention in Lithuania in 2015. The succes stories that were shared with me to do with this drug sparked a new glimpse of hope which I had briefly lost whilst I wait to hear for options from my Neuro and oncology team
Organiser
Liveta Gelgotaite
Organiser