Help me beat stage 4 cancer

Hi, I’m Becky,

I have set up this page to share my story and to raise funds to access medical treatment which is not available on the NHS in England. Many of you have asked how you can help or offer support. This may be a way you could help - we are grateful for any support and donations.

I am 41yrs old and from the UK. A year ago I was working full time and planning my wedding to my amazing fiancé Weng Weng( he’s Filipino). Then without warning in March 2022, I ended up in A&E needing emergency life-saving surgery to remove blockages in my bowel. The surgery lasted 7 hours+ and resulted in part of my bowel being removed and a colostomy bag was fitted. The blockages turned out to be cancerous tumors and since this time last year, I have been on a journey to heal from this cancer.

My initial diagnosis was stage 3 cancer and the doctors were confident that chemo - folfox would be enough to treat it. However, further tests showed that I had a very aggressive type of cancer -BRAF mutation - and that it had spread further than initially thought. I was in fact Stage 4. The doctors describe this as life-limiting cancer and the goal with treatment has always been to give me the best chance possible - treating to prevent further spread and remain stable.

After this diagnosis, a different chemo regime was prescribed - FOLFOXIRI which involved treatment being given over 3 days every 2 weeks for a 3-month period. Grueling! My initial scan results in July 2022 showed that the cancer responded well to this. So another round of chemo for 3 months was decided upon. However, the nature of BRAF is aggressive and mutative and my next scan results in October 2022 showed that the chemo was no longer effective and the cancer had adapted and spread further. It now is in my lower back, lungs, lymph node in my chest and peritoneum. This was heartbreaking to hear.

I am now currently on a targeted drug treatment specific to the BRAF mutation. This involves taking tablets every day and an IV infusion twice a month. This is a relatively new treatment on the NHS. While I am grateful for all the care and support I have been given on the NHS my options are very limited. If this treatment fails I would be looking at clinical trials.

Knowing this we have been researching other integrative and supportive treatments which will help and give me the best chance possible. Unfortunately, these all come at a cost as they are not available either on the NHS or in the UK. My search has led me to look abroad and I have found a private clinic in Turkey that specializes in stage 4 cancer with successful outcomes. I have been in contact with them and they are willing to treat me. They use a range of supportive and integrative therapies which I would use to support my current treatment in the UK. The cost is incredibly high and that is why I have set up this page. Each round of treatment would be around £5,500 - not including flights, accommodation and other travel-related expenses.

We are also talking to other integrative doctors in the UK and pursuing options that will have the most benefit. We are aware that as great as the NHS is the options are limited and we need to look further afield.

This has been the most intense year since my surgery and we wouldn’t have gotten through it without the love and support we have received. We are beyond grateful and cannot express in words how much it means. We remain hopeful and know that healing is possible. I’m still planning to marry my man just as soon as he arrives from the Philippines ( the visa process is a whole other story!).

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Please consider helping me on my journey of healing from cancer.