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NEIL'S STORY
Two months ago, our world was shattered when my husband Neil Macfadyen, dad to our teenage son Harry, was diagnosed with Grade 4 Glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable brain cancer. He was given just months to live and potentially 12-18 months with standard of care NHS treatment.
He has already had a successful operation to remove as much of the tumour as possible, followed by 6 weeks of gruelling daily radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
But there is some hope for us – in Germany there is a clinic offering advanced immunotherapy treatment which, if successful, can slow the progression and growth of the tumour. It’s not available in the UK on the NHS, which means the costs are very high and we can’t manage them on our own.
Neil is much-loved by all his family and many friends, known for his humour, his warmth, crazy stories and the way he lights up any room. We desperately want to give him more time, which means asking for help. Please support us by donating if you can and sharing this page – every bit will help us in this fight.
From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!
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UPDATE: 25 Oct 2025
We’re all absolutely thrilled to have reached our first target in just 2 weeks! We are so unbelievably grateful to everyone who has supported us, and it is such a relief to know that your donations guarantee that Neil will get the first cycle of treatment. THANK YOU!
We don’t know everything that Neil will need yet as it varies depending on individual patients, but we know the costs will reach £80,000 and could go over £100,000. A scary thought which seemed like an impossible dream a couple of weeks ago, but we can now aim higher - we are determined to keep the fundraising going to raise as much as we can and give Neil the best chance possible.
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What the funds will be used for
(converted to GBP from Euros)
Treatment at IOZK Lab in Cologne, Germany - IOZK
1st five-day treatment unit to induce immunogenic cell death - £11,380
- £5,680 - Immunological oncological diagnostics, tumour genetic liquid biopsy and first intake
- £400 - Internal oncological course diagnostic
- £4,900 - Oncolytic virotherapy with loco-regional radiofrequency hyperthermia (5 days)
- £400 - 4x POH bottles + inhalation machine
2nd five-day treatment unit to induce immunogenic cell death -£5,700 (est.)
IO-VAC® vaccination cycle £49,000.
Creation of a personalised vaccine to recognise and attack cancer cells.
- £24,500 per cycle - at least two vaccination cycles are necessary for one treatment.
Maintenance therapy after carrying out the IO-VAC® vaccination cycles - ongoing
- £5,700 five-day treatment unit to induce immunogenic cell death.
Travel & Accommodation - £5,000 (est.)
- £1,000 approx. per trip to Germany.
Other UK based treatments and medication we may consider:
- Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy a medical treatment where a patient breathes 100% pure oxygen inside a pressurized chamber to increase the amount of oxygen delivered to the body's tissues - £3,000
- Optune – a non-invasive medical device that uses Tumour Treating Fields to treat glioblastoma and prevent tumour from growing so quickly - £18,000 per month
- Sativex - a cannabis-based prescription medicine showing promising results in trials for cancer treatment - £500 per month
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How You Can Help
Every single penny, no matter the amount, helps Neil and his family.
Your generosity will directly support:
Life-extending treatment
Travel and accommodation in Germany
Ongoing care and medical support
If you are unable to give financially, you can still play an enormous role in Neil’s treatment by giving a moment of your time.
Sharing this page means more people see it - and they might donate as a direct result.
Every single share, to one person or one thousand people, helps spread Neil’s story and brings hope one step closer.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for helping Neil fight for more time with the people who love him most.
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Additional Information
What happens if circumstances change?
Glioblastoma is unpredictable, and treatment plans may evolve. We have forecasted anticipated costs for treatments in Germany and the UK to the best of our ability. If, for any reason, we cannot use all the funds raised for Neil, we will donate any remaining funds to The Brain Tumour Charity and Brain Cancer Research to help others facing this disease.
Who will receive the funds?
All donations will go directly to Somerset and Neil to cover treatment, travel, accommodation and other related medical expenses.
How will I know how my donation is being used?
We will post regular updates on this GoFundMe page so that supporters can see progress, treatment milestones, and how donations are helping.
