My name is Chris, I am the lucky husband of Denita.

Throughout the last 10 years we have been battling cancer with Denita's Lymphoma diagnosis, which originally started back in 2015 - at that time, she was 31 years old and we were recently married with our careers on track for a fulfilling life ahead.

Denita had not been too ill prior to diagnosis but tests were carried out and found that she had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (Follicular). We started Chemotherapy within a couple of weeks, Denita had to be off work for this period, I cared for her and was at every infusion and appointment throughout treatment. I was also working full time during this period - this took a toll on my mental and physical health.

Denita was eventually given the all clear and told she was in remission (after 6 rounds of Chemotherapy and 12 sessions of Antibody treatment). This treatment was just over 18 months to complete!

This, however, was short lived. During routine bloods and check in spring 2018, Denita had relapsed for a second time. This was again NHL F stage 4.

This came as a shock as most patients would go for 5 years or more before a relapse.

Due to the way the cancer had returned, this called for a more intense treatment to address the underlying cancer cells within the immune system. After several tests, biopsies and appointments at UCLH Hospital, we decided to go ahead with a Stem Cell transplant. This was using her own Stem Cells (Autologous Transplant).

This process required Denita to have 6 sessions of Chemotherapy on a daily basis to push her into remission before admission to the hospital to harvest her Stem Cells, these would then be deep cleaned through a process in a lab before being given back to Denita in a few days.

This process was the hardest yet with the biggest risks to mortality we had ever experienced.

Like all of her treatments, Denita pushed through and was given the all clear in late September 2019.

Now to our current situation:

Early March, we were told by the Oncologist on a routine appointment that Denita may have relapsed for a third time!!

This was unforeseen and a complete shock.

Since Denita's last transplant, we had managed to regain our lives and create some routine. Denita had managed to find a job that suited her and all was going well.

Denita is now back under the care of the wonderful team at the UCLH in London.

So far, she has undergone 2 rounds of Chemotherapy and is due to have the 3rd shortly before we look into the options for another Stem Cell transplant or Stem Cell therapy.

This process will bring us to the tail end of this year.

Why do we need your help?

Throughout this horrible experience, we have had amazing support from friends and family who have gone above and beyond to help.

However, Denita is unable to work for the foreseeable future. Although we have family and friends helping, I am Denita’s husband (and carer) who will be at every appointment or treatment for her.

As it stands in my current job role, my employer has helped and continues to support me where possible but with amount of appointments needed, my time off has lapsed.

Any savings or assets that we previously had were used to keep us going during previous bouts of illness/treatment/appointments. Unfortunately, I have underlying chronic health conditions that limit the amount of ‘extra’ hours I do on top of everything else.

Ultimately, due to the cost of living, we have been unable to save between these periods of illness.

I’ve sought assistance from both my bank and local authorities, but unfortunately, I’ve had no success.

The costs involved in attending these appointments etc is colossal (Congestion Charge, Parking, ULEZ, Food). That doesn’t take in to account that I am not earning a wage either for these days. As everyone does, we also have our rent and bills to pay for which are a priority.

Currently, this is extremely challenging.

Any donations would be used to help cover these costs as well as provide us with the opportunity to enjoy the ‘good’ days and make some memories without the guilt of spending money that we don’t have.

Apologies for the long explanation - If you feel like you can donate to help our cause that would be greatly appreciated, if not, please feel free to share this page for us.

Chris & Denita