Help Us Save Ben

I want to set this page up for Ben who is my close friend. He is a young man of 33 who was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer 4 years ago. Ben has undergone extensive surgery to remove a tumour which was wrapped around his heart. He then had several rounds of chemotherapy which caused sepsis and very nearly killed him.

Sadly, Ben's cancer returned in his lungs and chest wall this year, and the NHS is not able to offer him any more treatment.

Ben has been given a very poor prognosis by his NHS doctors.

In addition to this devastating diagnosis, Ben sustained nerve damage from his cancer treatment and the immuno suppressant medication he has to take. This has caused nerve damage across his back, chest and arm. Despite a whole host of medications he is prescribed, this pain is ongoing, and only ever stops when Ben keeps absolutely still. Obviously, it is impossible to keep still all of the time, and when he moves around Ben describes the sensation of lots of wasp stings. We can only imagine how painful this is for him. He is unable to work, participate in his former hobbies and interests and is limited in all aspects of his life by his debilitating pain.

Despite all of the above, Ben is an incredibly inspiring and resilient chap. He is funny, clever and rarely lets things get him down. He is great fun, very kind, and always tries to help others as much as he can. He is very loved.

Ben has undertaken extensive research into alternative treatments for both his chronic pain, and his cancer. He has spoken to doctors and specialists, and also fellow cancer sufferers all over the world. Armed with this information, Ben has embarked on a strict diet, a combination of medication and supplements and has enrolled in a self funded trial with Care Oncology Clinic in London ( a group of Oncologists who offer cancer treatment other than chemo and radio therapy). In addition to his diet and medication, Ben is advised to have a number of other treatments that are proving to be very effective in the treatment of cancer. These include Vitamin C infusions, hyperbaric therapy, and ultrasound therapy among others. All of these treatments have been approved and are encouraged by Ben's GP and Oncologist. They are also proven to help with chronic nerve pain in many people. However, they are not available via the NHS and are, you wont be surprised to read, very expensive. Ben asked me to post some links about these treatments in the hope they may help others too. See below.

We know that many people are having incredible results with the cancer treatments and regimes I have touched upon, and we desperately want Ben to be able to afford to have them all to give himself the very best chance of a long and pain free life. As a cancer nurse myself, I would not attempt to raise funds to pay for treatments that are not well researched, have proven results and will not put Ben at risk.

Ben has a close network of family and friends who have all helped him to pay for treatments so far. Four years on, we now need to appeal to the lovely people out there who may be reading this, for help. Ben has been very reluctant to ask for help in this way but accepts that without your help he will not be able to continue with his cancer and pain treatments.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.

https://careoncologyclinic.com
https://www.cancer.gov/research/key-initiatives/ras/ras-centre/blog/2020/yun-cantley-vitamin-c
https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/treatments-and-drugs/hyperbaric-oxygen-hbo-treatment