Cancer diagnosis means I need emergency IVF!

Hi, my name is Charlotte...

Under two months ago, I married the love of my life, and we were about to start our family. Things were going perfectly! We returned from our Honey Moon the following week, and these dreams were shattered... I was diagnosed with breast cancer!

Now I am in a race against time to raise enough money for IVF so that we can create embryos to freeze before I start post-surgery hormone treatment!

I'm so sorry to ask for help from others. We will only have five working days to pay once we start IVF, or they will stop the treatment. We're trying to sell my car, but it won't be enough...

If we weren't already in a lot of debt for our wedding, or with these huge time constraints, we might have been able to do it ourselves – but this is our situation... I'm desperate. I really want to be a mum one day!

As a cancer patient, I also won't be considered for adoption until well into remission, by which time I'll be perceived as too old for a baby or young child. This is my only chance!!!

I'd noticed a lump only six weeks before the wedding, and it was biopsied the same week of my big day. I'm 35 with no history to suggest I might be a breast cancer gene carrier, so being diagnosed so young has come as a major shock!

Everything has happened very fast; since then. I've had daily scans, tests and two rounds of IVF with limited results. We got four stage-one embryos that have been frozen, but you really need five-six to have a good chance of just one developing to be a viable stage-five in the future...

Last Friday, they removed the tumour, and this Monday, they will tell me how long I have before I start the hormone treatment, which will last 5-10 years. Usually, it is four weeks after surgery, and the IVF cycle can be rushed through in two weeks. Last time, I took a 2-day break and tried again immediately.

I need to give it at least one more shot before the hormones start! Please help give me that chance if you can. Every little helps xx

On the plus side! To try to turn my bad situation into a positive one, my brother and I started a podcast documenting my progress from diagnosis until now. He is a teenage cancer survivor and has been a great help to me. We're both very open to talking about these difficult issues and hope it can help raise awareness and others in a similar situation!

Please tune in if you'd like to hear more about my story and keep up with my cancer and IVF progress. We are also now inviting others to talk about their own cancer journeys on the channel, so please help share the love!

It’s called the Cancer Twins:

Audio Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/.../cancer-twins/id1642196134

YouTube Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXD6xp4xFqhIO8k4DzyuMUw

Trailer - https://youtu.be/piUzXVEseM0

https://linktr.ee/thecancertwins

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thecancertwins

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecancertwins/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/cancer_twins

Thank you for your love and support

Charlotte xx