Fighting cancer. Rachael's journey.

In December 2021, our dear friend Rachael was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a diagnosis that rocked her world and that of her husband and two children. Displaying remarkable courage and tenacity, Rachael successfully battled cancer once through a series of intense treatments, which included a taxing chemotherapy regimen. Following a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, we had high hopes that Rachael and her family could begin to rebuild their lives and business, both of which had been severely affected during the Covid period.

Regrettably, this period of hope was fleeting...

Tragically, due to a BRCA 1 mutation, the cancer has returned in both axillary lymph nodes and her lungs, resulting in a non-curable diagnosis. While the NHS can provide conventional treatments to manage the cancer, they do not offer a cure. However, viable alternatives exist that could significantly improve Rachael's condition.

In April 2023, NICE approved a PARP inhibitor drug named Olaparib1. While it is available for primary BRCA cases on the NHS, it isn't provided for secondary cases. However, it can be obtained privately at approximately £5000 per month and has the potential to significantly improve Rachael's quality of life by suppressing and hopefully reducing the cancer.

This treatment could provide Rachael with the opportunity to control this disease long-term, opening a wider window for new medical advancements to emerge that could help defeat the cancer permanently and, crucially, allow her to spend more precious time with her family. However, it comes with a significant financial burden, including treatment costs and additional expenses related to travel, loss of work, among others.

The funding we seek would cover about a year of treatment. Understanding that this could potentially be a continuous process, any contributions exceeding our initial goal would be immensely appreciated. This fight is worth every effort. Without your generous support and these crucial funds, this life-extending treatment for Rachael simply isn't feasible. We would deeply appreciate any donations.

Rachael has bravely confronted and overcome this cancer once before, and we firmly believe that with this advanced therapy, she can successfully live with cancer over a much longer period. Please join us in our mission to prolong Rachael's life with her family.

View our latest appeal video here