Donate in honour of Lazaros for cancer research

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Alexis Pala and 2 others are organizing this fundraiser.

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Unfortunately, Lazaros took his final breaths on November 15th after a courageous battle against cancer. Lazaros confronted this unequal struggle with dignity. He embodied the resilient spirit that was quintessentially him—a fusion of both warrior strength and the soulful wisdom of a druid—the mystical insight of a shaman guiding his journey.

As we outlined below, Lazaros wanted the funds to be donated in his honour to cancer research if it couldn't go toward his treatments. A small portion (£5,375) will help to cover some of his burial and memorial costs.

Lazaros profoundly believed in the power of science. He wants this contribution (over £14,000 as of 21/11) to help unravel the mysteries behind this devastating cancer to begin levelling the playing field for others in their fights against it. All additional funds raised between now and 16 December 2023 will be donated to Brainstrust UK and Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff to support current and future generations. If you would like to donate in Lazaros' legacy, please do so before 16 December 2023, when the fundraiser will close and all funds will be donated in his name.

ARCHIVE: LAZAROS' ORIGINAL FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TEXT

When the headaches and blurry vision started, they thought all Lazaros needed was an eye test. But the optometrist saw something else and urgently referred him to a specialist. They soon discovered a brain tumour. It turned out to be grade 4 Glioblastoma—an aggressive form of brain cancer. Lazaros is just 32.

Now we are all fighting to give him a longer, comfortable chance at life.

What's happened and why do we need your help?

March 2023: Laz discovered he had a brain tumour and had it removed. But this was only the beginning of his journey with Glioblastoma (GMB).
April-June 2023: Laz started his first phase of treatment: combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy for six weeks.
Mid-summer 2023: a short break to recover strength and rest before phase 2. He even got a taste of normalcy on a weekend away in Wales with childhood friends.
July-December 2023: Laz began phase 2: six consecutive, 28-day cycles of chemotherapy which hit hard.
Curve ball - October 2023: Laz got really ill. It turned out the lesions detected in his mid-term MRI in September were the GMB tumour regrowing...

Now, to give him a stronger chance, Lazaros and his family are exploring new (but private and costly) avenues since the NHS doesn't offer the most globally advanced treatments. We are trying all that we can do to ensure that no option, no drug, no therapy is off the table. Treatment options and associated costs range from £17,000-£100,000.

Currently the two main options are:

Immunotherapy in Germany - this has helped many others with his form of cancer in the UK who are trying to exhaust different avenues. It would develop a personalised vaccine for Lazaros from the DNA of his initial GMB brain tumour. We are exploring CEGAT. You can read more about costs and a personal testimony here . The initial blood test costs about £17,000 to do tumour sequencing. Within a month of the initial blood test, we should get results. Vaccine costs £53,000. In total - £70,000 / €80,000 / $85,500
Possibility of a clinical trial in the UK with UCL and UCLH in London. It's led by the Glioblastoma Research Group but, as things stand, there may not be a trial soon enough for Lazoros to join.

Please help him fight off this aggressive tumour.

Any options you think we should explore, send to the campaign group! You can also learn more about treatments and associated costs through the Brains Trust website.

Other ways you can help: spread the word, organise a fundraiser, and/or repurposing a charity event. We want this campaign to go far and wide so please share! Doing a charity run / walk / hike or if you need a beneficiary for a work event or a charity bake sale, please think of us and the others affected by GBM!

We mean it when we say no donation is too small. Every penny will count. No donation will be wasted. A lover of science, Lazaros is already contributing to future generations by donating his initial brain tumour to research. All funds raised that don't go to helping Lazaros with expenses related to his fight against Glioblastoma brain cancer, will be donated to Brains Trust UK and Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff to continue the fight. Velindre provides specialist cancer services to over 1.5 million people in South East Wales and beyond. It also aims to be the greenest hospital in the UK.

For those of you who don't know Lazaros, he's a talented artist, a proud Greek, a lover of philosophy and science, and was building a life in Bristol before diagnosis. He was born in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada but currently resides in Cardiff with his mom and sister while undergoing treatment. He is a proud global citizen having lived, travelled, worked, and studied in different places. Before getting sick he was designing an art project to highlight the migrant experience of the UK. He wanted to compassionately explore people's journeys for a place to call home.

Lazaros might seem like one person in this world, but to his mom and sister, he is everything. They already lost Lazaros' father tragically to cancer when the kids were young. Join this fight to break the cycle and give hope.

Cancer hasn't hindered his passion for art, but it has changed his artistic ability. Recently Lazaros has experimented with new ways to express himself given the changes to his brain and coordination. He's learning to live with a brain tumour to leave his mark. Take a look at some of his recent pieces below: