On the evening of October 17th, my mother was taken to the hospital with severe abdominal pain. That night she was admitted for investigations. After three days, we received the devastating news that she has ovarian cancer. A few days later, doctors also discovered a second, smaller tumour — a very rare one.
The medical team in the public hospital in Asti told us that they cannot do anything more for her because the rare tumour is extremely serious. As a family, we refuse to give up. We have found a private hospital that is willing to take her, but the costs are far beyond what we can afford.
Just the ambulance transfer alone is €5,000, and the additional tests and treatments she needs are extremely expensive — this is what the doctor from the private hospital explained to us.
We are asking for
Our beloved mother has recently been diagnosed with two aggressive tumors: one neuroendocrine and one ovarian, both with metastases in the peritoneum. She has been hospitalized in Italy for the past one month and two weeks, suffering from severe abdominal pain and ascites.
After analyzing the fluid from her abdomen, doctors discovered an ovarian tumor with peritoneal metastases. The tumor could not be seen on CT scans, as they believe it is extremely small. During her first CT, the doctors noticed a nodule attached to her liver measuring around 4.5 cm. Two weeks later, a repeat CT showed that the nodule had grown to 9 cm. A biopsy was performed, and the results confirmed it is a neuroendocrine tumor.
Throughout her hospitalization, the abdominal fluid has been drained multiple times. She has also been treated with antibiotics because the fluid was infected. Yesterday, we met with the medical team, and the oncologists informed us that they cannot begin chemotherapy. They believe her condition is too weak and that chemotherapy might endanger her life or accelerate her decline. For this reason, they recommended focusing only on symptom management through palliative care.
As her family, we desperately want to transfer her to a private hospital where she might still have a chance at further evaluation or treatment. Unfortunately, the costs are extremely high. The private ambulance alone to transfer her costs between €2,000 and €5,000, and the full medical expenses—new investigations, hospitalization, and treatment—are estimated around €25,000. This is an impossible amount for us to manage on our own.
We are a modest family. Our mother worked until the very day she suddenly fell ill and was taken to the emergency room. She never had symptoms before that night. She is hospitalized in Italy, and although we, her children, live in the UK, we are now here staying beside her every day.
We are heartbroken and ashamed to ask for help, as we never imagined we would be in this situation. But for our mother, we are willing to do anything. If you need any proof or documentation, we are willing to provide it. All we ask is for your help in sharing our story, spreading the word, and supporting us with any amount you can. Even the smallest donation can bring us closer to giving our mother one more chance.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for reading, sharing, and helping our family during the most difficult time of our lives.