Help fund Lala's cancer treatment

Lala, a Fine artist, has recently been given a sudden and very serious breast cancer diagnosis; Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer which has spread to some lymph nodes.

 The normal medical treatment  in these circumstances would be chemotherapy, mastectomy and radiotherapy. However she does not have the mental, emotional and physical energy to go through with that due to major lifelong health problems.

Lala was born with a rare breathing impairment which constricts her airways making breathing hard work for her. This has many impacts on her daily life and restricts what she can do, she  has fought many times over for her life from birth onwards.

She also had severe scoliosis (curvature of the spine), and at the age of 17, had full spinal fusion, a complex operation pioneered by Frida Khalo. Lala had to wear a full body  cast for 6 months, although she managed to complete her A levels from home. She then went on to do a BA in Fine Art and later an MA.

Since then, Lala spends much of her time trying to keep as well as she can, and recovering from long lung illness/chest infection, using a variety of health treatments like reflexology and TCM, and osteopathy to help. 

Despite her disabilities and many setbacks, Lala has managed to work as an artist, do voluntary work and travel all over Europe. Before the pandemic she loved to explore new places, especially as her conditions are greatly improved in dry, sunny climates.  She also fights for causes, especially Disability rights. In recent years she has been a busy activist for her local Keep our NHS Public group, who help campaign for the UK to keep and maintain a publicly funded NHS: that is Universal healthcare, free at the point of use, for all. 

Lala is also a supportive, caring, much-loved friend, with a great sense of fun, who loves dressing up in costume for any occasion !

Life has not been an easy journey, and the last year has been particularly tough as Lala has been shielding in the UK, for over a year, only going out for occasional very short walks. Due to her breathing condition, she cannot manage to wear a mask, and so as for so many her life radically changed, overnight and indefinitely.  

 On receiving the devastating cancer diagnosis, Lala has been looking at some life extension or quality of life treatment.. to slow down her illness. She has discovered a treatment that would help with this, which has been recommended for her by an Expert Integrated Health Doctor in London. It is a treatment widely used in Germany, in hospitals, but unfortunately is not widely known about in the UK and also no longer available on the NHS and is therefore costly, so we are asking friends and other kind souls to contribute what they can to enable her to access this treatment. Any help will be much appreciated. The situation is critical so she needs to begin treatment as soon as possible.
In her own words: 

 

“This above is a tip of the iceberg of my experience as a disabled artist. 

This makes me motivated to create Art... in all contexts, but I truly more than the average person, know the real benefits and essential place of the Arts in sterile hospital environments. I have many new ideas I want to be able to make and create. 

Last year in 2020, I created a tiny flower design, for a large community mural project, celebrating diversity in the NHS, currently on show outside the Rich Mix building, entitled:  " NHS 200 Nationalities " created by ATMA, in collaboration with Paint the Change.
The mural is a tribute to incredible diversity in the NHS workforce. My flower was a favourite with the mural artist, ATMA, so it was selected and used it in several more locations, including a bus stop, and the lobby of the Former ENT department of a London hospital recently closed, waiting for developers. 

  I bring this patient knowledge and experience with me…in all I do. 

 I have so many more art ideas I wish to create and explore…”