Help Alan with his battle against brain cancer
Donation protected
UPDATE
Thank you all so much for your donations so far, it has done wonders for my Dad's spirits over the past couple of months to see how many people have donated and to read your lovely messages. As mentioned before, my Dad’s last CT scan in January saw great progress with his radiotherapy and we had our hopes lifted with the prospect of surgery. We are sad to inform you that this is no longer the case. The neurosurgeon back in the UK asked for an MRI scan to give a more in-depth idea of the scope of my Dad’s glioblastoma before they could give us a definitive answer as to whether surgery would be an option or not. Alan had the MRI scan a couple weeks ago and we found that in the last two months his condition had done a 180° turn and started growing again. His tumour is now double the size it was in January and now he has two additional tumours, one of which is located on the brain stem which now means that treatment and surgery are no longer an option. All we can do now is manage his symptoms and make the most of our time left together.
The money we have raised so far has gone towards his medication; ambulance fees; covering the cost of the MRI; physical and mental therapy; hiring of equipment (wheelchair/hospital bed) and the hiring of a wheelchair taxi so my Dad can finally get out of the house to see some of the places in Cyprus he loves so much. The remainder plus any further donations if you wish to do so, will be used for further medication; covering the cost of increased care; further hiring of equipment and wheelchair taxis to help Alan live life to the fullest; further physical and mental therapy; and to also help get close members of family, myself and his parents, over to Cyprus so he is surrounded by those he loves over the next coming weeks.
Once again thank you so much, there are no words to describe how much it means to my family and me to see how well the fundraiser has done and for all your support.
STORY
May 2020
One day in May 2020, my father had an abnormality with his speech and movement and was initially concerned that he had either had a stroke or an aneurysm. After going to hospital, having a CT scan and a biopsy he was diagnosed with a glioblastoma. Alan had been asymptomatic until the tumour was a size of a golf ball and then started to deteriorate quickly as the tumour grew rapidly. Due to the area where the glioblastoma is located on the brain, it was deemed inoperable and due to his deteriorating state, he was too weak for chemotherapy and therefore was only eligible for radiotherapy as a treatment.
Glioblastoma
Glioblastomas are considered the most aggressive of all brain tumours, with rapid growth, a high chance of recurrence and can be resistant to treatment. Due to short life expectancy (average between 12-15months) and frequent disease recurrence, only 3-5% of glioblastoma patients live longer than 3 years after diagnosis, with only a small number of patients showing a strong response to therapy and surviving 10 years or longer comprise less than 1% of all patients.
Alan’s Journey
Alan started his radiotherapy treatment in August 2020, just after celebrating his 51st birthday and since his diagnosis, he has been bedridden due to loss of motor functions and had a severe lapse in his speech. After finishing his treatment, he went home to where my mum had kitted out the bedroom with a hospital bed and had organised a nurse and physiotherapist to help with day-to-day care as well as building my dad’s muscles to work towards getting him back up on his feet. Through the last few months, they have worked together towards building up his strength and with the radiotherapy there has been a significant improvement since August, with him being so close to getting back on his feet and standing again. My mother used to be a chef and had been reading up on the effects of certain food on brain tumours, getting in touch with doctors who have studied the impact of certain diets on glioblastomas – specifically with a ketogenic diet, which she has used to help Alan at home to see if it will help with his battle against the tumour. Alan recently (January 2021) had a CT scan to see how the radiotherapy had affected the glioblastoma. Radiotherapy on its own is not considered to have much of an impact on glioblastomas so we were all extremely happy (including the oncologist) to find out that the glioblastoma has shrunk, a good proportion of it has died and the oncologist considers the rest to be ‘asleep’. The oncologist says that the next step is to have CT scans every 3 months to keep an eye on the tumour and if it does start to grow again, then to go through another round of treatment, which if my dad is strong enough, will this time include chemotherapy.
Next Step
My parents have found a neurosurgeon who prides themselves on performing surgery on tumours which are deemed inoperable and has a high success rate. They have been sent over copies of the CT scan and have informed us that they think they would be able to operate. My dad, instead of waiting with a substantial tumour still present and to keep an eye on it in case it grows, would like to go see this neurosurgeon to get a second opinion and hopefully have the tumour surgically removed. This will greatly help in his battle against the glioblastoma, and without the presence of the tumour pushing against his brain – will hopefully allow for fast progression in his determination to be back up on his feet once again after 9 months.
The Problem
My parents retired back in 2019 and had gone to Cyprus to spend some time out there and enjoy their retirement. Then Covid hit and they were stuck in Cyprus, initially not something they were concerned about at the time (who would complain at that?), but then my dad was diagnosed and due to his condition, it was not feasible to fly back to the UK. Alan has received all of his medical treatment in Cyprus and due to them not being citizens and not being on GESY (their version of the NHS), all of the medical expenses have had to be paid for. His medical insurance ran out after diagnosis and the insurers will not renew it due to him being diagnosed with a terminal illness. The medical expenses so far equal about £40,000. My parents would like to come back to the UK as that is where the neurosurgeon they have found is, but due to being away from the UK for quite some time, they will not be able to claim benefits and might not be able to get the operation and any treatment on the NHS. With my dad’s condition and being bedridden, he would currently not be able to fly commercially and would be required to fly via medevac which would be another cost (£10,000 - £16,000). Unfortunately, the medical expenses so far have drained their retirement fund and they do not have the financial resources to afford further treatment in Cyprus, medevac costs, potential living expenses in the UK and potentially any surgery and/or treatment in the UK if they are unable to get it on the NHS.
How You Can Help
With their current medical expenses which have drained their retirement fund (£40,000), medevac (£10,000 - £16,000), further treatment if they remain in Cyprus (£40,000+) or treatment in the UK if not eligible for it to be covered by the NHS (£40,000+), we are hoping to be able to raise enough to cover these expenses so that my dad has the best chance to recover and his health is not impeded by the lack of financial funds.
We know that this is a very challenging time due to the Covid pandemic and a lot of people are experiencing financial hardships. Therefore we would be beyond grateful for any donations, whether they are big or small, any fund raising efforts on behalf of Alan and for anyone to share this page to others. The money will be used towards any expenses for Alan’s treatment and any penny over what he requires will be donated to The Brain Tumour Charity.
Thank you all so much for your donations so far, it has done wonders for my Dad's spirits over the past couple of months to see how many people have donated and to read your lovely messages. As mentioned before, my Dad’s last CT scan in January saw great progress with his radiotherapy and we had our hopes lifted with the prospect of surgery. We are sad to inform you that this is no longer the case. The neurosurgeon back in the UK asked for an MRI scan to give a more in-depth idea of the scope of my Dad’s glioblastoma before they could give us a definitive answer as to whether surgery would be an option or not. Alan had the MRI scan a couple weeks ago and we found that in the last two months his condition had done a 180° turn and started growing again. His tumour is now double the size it was in January and now he has two additional tumours, one of which is located on the brain stem which now means that treatment and surgery are no longer an option. All we can do now is manage his symptoms and make the most of our time left together.
The money we have raised so far has gone towards his medication; ambulance fees; covering the cost of the MRI; physical and mental therapy; hiring of equipment (wheelchair/hospital bed) and the hiring of a wheelchair taxi so my Dad can finally get out of the house to see some of the places in Cyprus he loves so much. The remainder plus any further donations if you wish to do so, will be used for further medication; covering the cost of increased care; further hiring of equipment and wheelchair taxis to help Alan live life to the fullest; further physical and mental therapy; and to also help get close members of family, myself and his parents, over to Cyprus so he is surrounded by those he loves over the next coming weeks.
Once again thank you so much, there are no words to describe how much it means to my family and me to see how well the fundraiser has done and for all your support.
STORY
May 2020
One day in May 2020, my father had an abnormality with his speech and movement and was initially concerned that he had either had a stroke or an aneurysm. After going to hospital, having a CT scan and a biopsy he was diagnosed with a glioblastoma. Alan had been asymptomatic until the tumour was a size of a golf ball and then started to deteriorate quickly as the tumour grew rapidly. Due to the area where the glioblastoma is located on the brain, it was deemed inoperable and due to his deteriorating state, he was too weak for chemotherapy and therefore was only eligible for radiotherapy as a treatment.
Glioblastoma
Glioblastomas are considered the most aggressive of all brain tumours, with rapid growth, a high chance of recurrence and can be resistant to treatment. Due to short life expectancy (average between 12-15months) and frequent disease recurrence, only 3-5% of glioblastoma patients live longer than 3 years after diagnosis, with only a small number of patients showing a strong response to therapy and surviving 10 years or longer comprise less than 1% of all patients.
Alan’s Journey
Alan started his radiotherapy treatment in August 2020, just after celebrating his 51st birthday and since his diagnosis, he has been bedridden due to loss of motor functions and had a severe lapse in his speech. After finishing his treatment, he went home to where my mum had kitted out the bedroom with a hospital bed and had organised a nurse and physiotherapist to help with day-to-day care as well as building my dad’s muscles to work towards getting him back up on his feet. Through the last few months, they have worked together towards building up his strength and with the radiotherapy there has been a significant improvement since August, with him being so close to getting back on his feet and standing again. My mother used to be a chef and had been reading up on the effects of certain food on brain tumours, getting in touch with doctors who have studied the impact of certain diets on glioblastomas – specifically with a ketogenic diet, which she has used to help Alan at home to see if it will help with his battle against the tumour. Alan recently (January 2021) had a CT scan to see how the radiotherapy had affected the glioblastoma. Radiotherapy on its own is not considered to have much of an impact on glioblastomas so we were all extremely happy (including the oncologist) to find out that the glioblastoma has shrunk, a good proportion of it has died and the oncologist considers the rest to be ‘asleep’. The oncologist says that the next step is to have CT scans every 3 months to keep an eye on the tumour and if it does start to grow again, then to go through another round of treatment, which if my dad is strong enough, will this time include chemotherapy.
Next Step
My parents have found a neurosurgeon who prides themselves on performing surgery on tumours which are deemed inoperable and has a high success rate. They have been sent over copies of the CT scan and have informed us that they think they would be able to operate. My dad, instead of waiting with a substantial tumour still present and to keep an eye on it in case it grows, would like to go see this neurosurgeon to get a second opinion and hopefully have the tumour surgically removed. This will greatly help in his battle against the glioblastoma, and without the presence of the tumour pushing against his brain – will hopefully allow for fast progression in his determination to be back up on his feet once again after 9 months.
The Problem
My parents retired back in 2019 and had gone to Cyprus to spend some time out there and enjoy their retirement. Then Covid hit and they were stuck in Cyprus, initially not something they were concerned about at the time (who would complain at that?), but then my dad was diagnosed and due to his condition, it was not feasible to fly back to the UK. Alan has received all of his medical treatment in Cyprus and due to them not being citizens and not being on GESY (their version of the NHS), all of the medical expenses have had to be paid for. His medical insurance ran out after diagnosis and the insurers will not renew it due to him being diagnosed with a terminal illness. The medical expenses so far equal about £40,000. My parents would like to come back to the UK as that is where the neurosurgeon they have found is, but due to being away from the UK for quite some time, they will not be able to claim benefits and might not be able to get the operation and any treatment on the NHS. With my dad’s condition and being bedridden, he would currently not be able to fly commercially and would be required to fly via medevac which would be another cost (£10,000 - £16,000). Unfortunately, the medical expenses so far have drained their retirement fund and they do not have the financial resources to afford further treatment in Cyprus, medevac costs, potential living expenses in the UK and potentially any surgery and/or treatment in the UK if they are unable to get it on the NHS.
How You Can Help
With their current medical expenses which have drained their retirement fund (£40,000), medevac (£10,000 - £16,000), further treatment if they remain in Cyprus (£40,000+) or treatment in the UK if not eligible for it to be covered by the NHS (£40,000+), we are hoping to be able to raise enough to cover these expenses so that my dad has the best chance to recover and his health is not impeded by the lack of financial funds.
We know that this is a very challenging time due to the Covid pandemic and a lot of people are experiencing financial hardships. Therefore we would be beyond grateful for any donations, whether they are big or small, any fund raising efforts on behalf of Alan and for anyone to share this page to others. The money will be used towards any expenses for Alan’s treatment and any penny over what he requires will be donated to The Brain Tumour Charity.
Organizer
Jess Nixon
Organizer