Andy's Private Treatment to fight Stage 3C Colon Cancer

Andy M is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

UPDATE: 19/12/2024 -

It's been a couple of months since I've been here. Initially I raised enough to pay for the consultations more so in hope that it wouldn't come to going private and just to understand what I'd be able to get but it looks like it's a solid option to see what other treatment options are available to me. Very thankful to anyone who's helped so far and to all those who continue to help and support me. Still optimistic I'll come good!

Hey, I'm Andy. Marathon runner, keen gym bunny, boxer and video game fan. Sounds pretty healthy, right? Sadly not. I ran a marathon back in May and after the marathon started to notice symptoms but initially ignored them due to thinking it was just post marathon sickness. The more it progressed, the more I realised it could be more. It started small with stomach pain and a change in my toilet habits, eventually leading to bloody stool and a fatigue that wouldn't stop. Went to doctors, got referred, had a colonoscopy and there we have it, colon cancer appeared as my biggest fear was realised. You never expect it to be you. You see the television shows and stories of people being told, but you never assume it'll be you sat in that chair.

I'm always optimistic but it got harder. Radiation was and still is a real energy killer. You go from feeling physically fit, benching PB's and running 26 miles to finding the energy to go up and down the stairs to make some food equally as hard. It's a crazy transition. But now I've had a biopsy post first stint of radiation and more bad news, it hasn't worked as I hoped! So my options are pretty clear. Private treatment to try a different method of radiation. I've spoken to a couple of companies (Genesis, Royal Marsden and Imperial) and they've given me such good clarity on what they can do, it sounds promising. Basically it would be a targeted therapy to make the immune system fight the cancerous cells developing while at the same time killing the live ones and to interfere with the genes developing the cancer. Plus I'd get seen too faster. If this fails, my final treatment option would be chemo.

Why do I deserve it? I don't think I do, really. I'm just a normal guy going through something millions of people suffer with every year. But I'm currently not working due to the treatment and I sadly don't have crazy savings to put up to get me there. I also come from a family that carries a particular gene making the chances of cancer higher and we've had a fair few lost battles, so my support system is smaller. Private treatment comes at a high cost but I believe it can be more beneficial in the long run, so I want to try everything I can.

So I'm not going to plea for anyone to donate really. If you want to donate, I'd be incredibly grateful. If you don't, I completely understand as you probably don't know me unless I've shared this with you personally. There are so many incredible stories on here that I'm reading of all the brave people going through something similar or worse. With all my heart I hope every single other fundraiser hits their goals, nobody deserves to go through this.

I really appreciate anyone that even reads this as it spreads awareness of cancer. I'm still processing my own story, but if anyone wants to reach out I'd be more than happy to talk and offer guidance of what helped me through my diagnosis.

Thank you so much,

Andy x