Help me be a Medical Miracle who overcame cancer

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Lucy Hibburd and 4 others are organizing this fundraiser.

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Hi everyone,

My name is Lucy Hibburd, age 42, mum to 4 cats, living a simple life in south of Spain.

After 8 months of on and off back issues (believed to be stemming form my herniated disk in L4-L5) - on January 26th, 2024 i was admitted in to A&E after i collapsed at home on the bathroom floor - the pain got too much and i could no longer walk.

(Here is me, reluctantly being admitted to hospital 26th Jan)

Placed on morphine and confined to a hospital bed as recent news of a fractured spine meant i was no longer allowed to move. Several tests, scans later... on February 1st my doctor stands in front of me and asks:

"Lucy, WHO is going to take care of you?... you have advanced stage lung cancer which is also in your spine and liver. It is a tumor in your spine that has broken the L3 vertabrae causing your mobility issues"

Well.. i did NOT see THAT coming!

Needless to say, i am STILL trying to digest the enormity of all this.

It has taken a while to get to THIS point where i have more information to share about my diagnosis, my cancer type, treatment options and explain HOW i need help. Even though this is evolving on a daily basis and i´m still not 100% sure of how this journey will evolve.

DIAGNOSIS:

So, in black n white. I have Stage 4, Adenocarcinoma of the lung, metastasis to L3 vertabra, liver and lymph. They told me it is non operable, not curative, paliative care and pain management.

Then, they discovered I have a rare mutation of my cancer that (a 5% chance) which despite not having any cures for it, it has responded well to a medication that aims to slow down and stop the spread of cancer which buys me... time. (they explained that if i do NOTHING, we are talking 3 months. If i start the meds and get to work i can add years, 2,3,4...5?..)

(here are some images that show how my spine fractured due to the tumor that has pretty much devoured my L3)

(pesky tumors in my spine, lung and liver)

TREATMENT:

I have received 2x sessions of Radiotheraphy on my spine. That is as much as they can do using Radiotheraphy on that specific area.

Asides from these tablets to help win me time. There is no other ´conventional´ medical treatment options for me at this point. They have said NO to chemo. And a MAYBE for immunotheraphy depending how i respond to the new drug.

ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT OPTIONS:

And so, i am NOT one to shrink back and give up or do nothing. Not while there are TONS of alternative approaches to treating cancer out there now and so many people who have written books about how they survived!

I was once here fighting my mums corner during her cancer journey and from that i built a big network of support, alternative treatment routes, resources and so i am revisiting those.

My plan (right now) is radical diet changes and support from a nutritionist to boost my immunity. Taking necessary supplements. I’d like to try other supportive therapies (acupuncture, ozone thereapy, physio etc). I will then follow a holistic treatment plan with a supporting doctor / clinic and my oncologist all on board.

One huge relief is that for the time being, i get support through my employer. So i still get a salary each month so my day to day expenses are more or less covered.

HOW DO I NEED HELP?

Where i WILL need help from you, my supporting COMMUNITY will be, for everything else - the cost of treatment : supplements, nutritionist, treatment like ozone therapy, other immunotherapies. I will be able to map out the costs of everything in more detail in the coming days. But from what i recall on my mums journey, this can pretty much stem from 10k to 40-50k+ depending on so many factors.

NEXT STEPS:

On 11th March i see the Oncologist and we review my bloods and see how i am responding to this new tablet. With these blood results i can find out from the two clinics what their treatment protocol will be and therefore how much and which route i take. I hope to be on my chosen treatment as soon as possible... by mid/end March ideally!...

HOPE:

I have read sooo many articles and cases of people who have successfully overcome their cancer or continue to live with, thrive with cancer for many, many years despite being given a really gloomy outlook like mine!. I do truly believe that Cancer no longer needs to be the immediate death sentence it´s believed to be and that there are options out there. We just have to find the route that works for us as an individual.

I am SO determined to be one of these miracle people who overcomes the cancer diagnosis, so i can then move on to fix my spine start to move, dance, practice yoga again and dedicate my days to helping people in the future to walk through such A path.

Thank you so much for reading and being with me.

Any questions, please reach out and I’ll do my best to answer.

Much love,

Lucy

PS - If you wish to see some of my resources which i have found so helpful for family/friends, check here (these are 3 amazing cancer thrivers with incredible stories):

https://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/

https://kriscarr.com/

https://www.anitamoorjani.com