Help my mum beat stage 4 cancer
Donation protected
On March 9th 2018 my 48 year old mum was diagnosed with a cancer that had spread, thats all we knew. Weeks later we found out that it was incurable stage 4 ovarian cancer. My mum has never smoked, drank or done anything "bad for you", always ate organic, always tried to be fit and healthy - so how this has happened to her is completely beyond us. For months she had been going to the doctors with strange symptoms, extreme cramping, bleeding, loss of appetite and weight loss. She was told it was IBS, that it was stress and that she was "reaching that age".
In March 2017 mum had been having similar problems so she'd been at the doctors and they did an ultrasound scan and checked her bloods. Everything looked normal and her bloods were normal, nothing strange going on. So this year when she was having more problems there was no thought at all it could be cancer considering just one year ago she had been given the all clear. Then one weekend her stomach just blew up - swollen to the size of being six months pregnant. So the Monday morning she was straight to the doctors - they referred her for a scan and said it would be around a weeks wait but if pains get any worse to check herself straight into A+E. By the Wednesday morning she couldn't take it anymore so took herself to hospital to get the scan straight away. She ended up having to stay in overnight having multiple tests, scans and bloods, then overnight again. On Friday morning a specialist told her it was cancer and that it had spread from her ovary to her liver and abdomen. After that we were in limbo for weeks to find out the severity of it and treatment options.
Between the diagnosis and waiting for chemo to start mum was admitted to hospital again as the Ascites ( the fluid buildup that had made her stomach balloon ) had gotten to the point where she was completely immobile, couldn't get in or out of bed without help. By this point she was looking 9 months pregnant and they drained 7 litres of fluid during an overnight stay. The pain of all this swelling had her on so much morphine and mountains of other drugs to the point where she was just a shell of my mother. Her eyes were constantly rolled to the back of her head, she kept stopping breathing, it was hell on earth.
Very long story short, they told us that they can't get rid of it. They offered 6 rounds of chemo and a full hysterectomy with the hope for her to stay in remission as long as possible. So far, mum has had 4 of 6 chemo treatments, and is having surgery tomorrow (30/07/2018). Although they can take out the main tumour, unfortunately the cancer has spread to so many other places its not possible to get rid of them all even with the chemo. It has spread to her liver, the lining of her abdomen and two lesions on her heart ( that we know of ).
The chemo as well, has made mum so ill. She lost her hair before having her second blast and the side effects are horrible to witness. Mum is usually so full of life, the strongest woman I know, doing everything for everyone and so active. Now, she often can't make it through the day without needing a nap, constantly exhausted, no energy, numbness in her thighs, feet and arms. Of course along with the diagnosis came depression and anxiety and that alone is an awful battle. I would love for a day where my mum feels good, is happy and healthy. It destroys all of us seeing her in tears and being so ill all the time.
How you can help : we've been looking into alternative treatment to fully rid mum of her cancer and give her the long happy life she deserves. Not just for her but for my little sister, she's only 9 and she needs her mum for many many years to come - we all do. There has been so much research and evidence proving all the amazing medicinal properties of CBD oil and pastes so along with traditional medicine that is the route we are going down. The only thing is, it's not cheap, with 30ml bottles and small tubs of pastes costing hundreds of pounds each. With mum only having sickness benefits to support her and me giving up my income to care for her and my sister, it's really not something we can budget for. Anything at all you can help with would be so greatly appreciated.
Sorry if this is all over the place, it's very hard to talk about and acknowledge it's all really happening. I'd also like to use this an opportunity to spread awareness of ovarian cancer and for every woman out there to please, please be aware of the symptoms ( link below ) and if you're not happy with what your doctor says then PUSH to get bloods done. Cases like my mums prove that this is a cancer they cannot screen for, as she went from perfectly fine to stage 4 in under a year.
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/ovarian-cancer/symptoms
Thank you for reading and even if you can just share a penny every little goes a long way <3
In March 2017 mum had been having similar problems so she'd been at the doctors and they did an ultrasound scan and checked her bloods. Everything looked normal and her bloods were normal, nothing strange going on. So this year when she was having more problems there was no thought at all it could be cancer considering just one year ago she had been given the all clear. Then one weekend her stomach just blew up - swollen to the size of being six months pregnant. So the Monday morning she was straight to the doctors - they referred her for a scan and said it would be around a weeks wait but if pains get any worse to check herself straight into A+E. By the Wednesday morning she couldn't take it anymore so took herself to hospital to get the scan straight away. She ended up having to stay in overnight having multiple tests, scans and bloods, then overnight again. On Friday morning a specialist told her it was cancer and that it had spread from her ovary to her liver and abdomen. After that we were in limbo for weeks to find out the severity of it and treatment options.
Between the diagnosis and waiting for chemo to start mum was admitted to hospital again as the Ascites ( the fluid buildup that had made her stomach balloon ) had gotten to the point where she was completely immobile, couldn't get in or out of bed without help. By this point she was looking 9 months pregnant and they drained 7 litres of fluid during an overnight stay. The pain of all this swelling had her on so much morphine and mountains of other drugs to the point where she was just a shell of my mother. Her eyes were constantly rolled to the back of her head, she kept stopping breathing, it was hell on earth.
Very long story short, they told us that they can't get rid of it. They offered 6 rounds of chemo and a full hysterectomy with the hope for her to stay in remission as long as possible. So far, mum has had 4 of 6 chemo treatments, and is having surgery tomorrow (30/07/2018). Although they can take out the main tumour, unfortunately the cancer has spread to so many other places its not possible to get rid of them all even with the chemo. It has spread to her liver, the lining of her abdomen and two lesions on her heart ( that we know of ).
The chemo as well, has made mum so ill. She lost her hair before having her second blast and the side effects are horrible to witness. Mum is usually so full of life, the strongest woman I know, doing everything for everyone and so active. Now, she often can't make it through the day without needing a nap, constantly exhausted, no energy, numbness in her thighs, feet and arms. Of course along with the diagnosis came depression and anxiety and that alone is an awful battle. I would love for a day where my mum feels good, is happy and healthy. It destroys all of us seeing her in tears and being so ill all the time.
How you can help : we've been looking into alternative treatment to fully rid mum of her cancer and give her the long happy life she deserves. Not just for her but for my little sister, she's only 9 and she needs her mum for many many years to come - we all do. There has been so much research and evidence proving all the amazing medicinal properties of CBD oil and pastes so along with traditional medicine that is the route we are going down. The only thing is, it's not cheap, with 30ml bottles and small tubs of pastes costing hundreds of pounds each. With mum only having sickness benefits to support her and me giving up my income to care for her and my sister, it's really not something we can budget for. Anything at all you can help with would be so greatly appreciated.
Sorry if this is all over the place, it's very hard to talk about and acknowledge it's all really happening. I'd also like to use this an opportunity to spread awareness of ovarian cancer and for every woman out there to please, please be aware of the symptoms ( link below ) and if you're not happy with what your doctor says then PUSH to get bloods done. Cases like my mums prove that this is a cancer they cannot screen for, as she went from perfectly fine to stage 4 in under a year.
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/ovarian-cancer/symptoms
Thank you for reading and even if you can just share a penny every little goes a long way <3
Organizer
Adel Smith
Organizer
