Help Karens Brain Tumour treatment & journey

 

Hi Everyone,

This page is being run by fundraising efforts from The Physio Lounge in support of the below:

 

We are Craig & Lorraine, Owners of The Physio Lounge and husband and Wife.

 

Devastatingly, the past few years Lorraine’s Mum has been battling with a terminal type of Brain Cancer (Glioblastoma). As a family business we are all pulling together to support Karen in her treatment and help her gain access to all treatments that could help her situation.

 

 

(Craig, Lorraine, Karen and Kev and their last holiday together

before the diagnosis)

 

Karen has pretty much come to the end of the road with the NHS in terms of what they can offer to treat the brain cancer, and we have been looking at alternative options. Most of the alternative options come at a large price, making it difficult to personally fund the treatment long-term. We are hoping to raise as much money as possible to give Karen the best chance at fighting this and prolonging her life as much as possible.

 

The money raised will go towards the following:

• Monthly IV Infusions such as Vitamin C and B12 to keep her immune

system strong- £80 per month

• A long list of supplements and repurposed drugs to fight cancer from

multiple angles. Costs of around £400+ per month.

• Private Oncology appointments every 6 weeks. £350 per 1 hour

appointment.

• Nutritionist Appointments monthly. This is to help her to eat a strict Keto

diet which has been found to reduce cancer progression- £100 per month

• Herbalist Appointments monthly. These appointments will monitor the

supplements she is on with reviews of the blood tests to ensure she isn't

having any adverse reactions. - £100 per month

 

We are also looking into treatments such as Re-radiation (£22,000), a less invasive

type of surgery (not provided on the NHS) (£18,000), or alternative Chemotherapies

(Not provided on NHS) £33,000.

We don't have a complete treatment plan as of yet as we are still going through

appointments with various private clinics, but the above is what we have found out

so far. As soon as we know more we will update this information to show where the

funds will be allocated.

Thank you for deciding to support our family and if you don't know Karen please take a moment to read her journey so far.

 

 

Karen's Story:

My journey began back in late 2015 when I was experiencing strange smells and feelings of de ja vu. The doctors dismissed it as menopause but I knew something wasn't quite right. I had a couple of funny episodes where I would get this strange smell and a weird feeling would come over me as if I didn't feel like I was in the room. I continued to have a few episodes of what I called "funny turns".

 

One Sunday evening we had my son and daughter and their kids around for Sunday dinner, as we regularly did, and one of these "funny turns" happened again. My daughter said I looked at her like I didn't know who she was and then after a few seconds I was back to normal but really tired.

 

The following morning I had a grand mal seizure in my sleep which caused me to

bite my tongue in half and have continuous fits. My husband found me with blood all over the pillow and feared the worst. I was rushed to the hospital and woke up with my family surrounding me. The next 5 days consisted of multiple scans which revealed I had a Glio grade 2 brain tumor. I was told It would be safe to wait for surgery due to it being a low grade tumour so I could attend my son's wedding in Florida. The surgery to remove the tumour went really well and I was back in work 6 weeks later.

 

 

(My First Crainotomy)

 

 

 

For 3 years I had regular scans which were all clear and I decided to change jobs and find something closer to home since I was no longer allowed to drive.

 

 

 

After a routine scan in November 2020 the results showed the tumour had returned for round two. I was obviously devasted but knew id done it before so I could do it again. I was told to isolate myself immediately and was operated on within a week. The second craniotomy went well and I was out of the hospital within a couple of days.

 

 

 

(Still smiling after my 2nd surgery and glad it had gone well )

 

 

 

When the histology came back, I was told this tumour was much worse than the surgeon had expected and I was diagnosed with a Grade IV Glioblastoma. The oncologist gave me the news no one wants to hear......they expected I would have 12 months to live. I was so shocked and terrified because I knew people with the same tumour, who had lost their lives due to it.

 

 

After the initial shock and lots of support from my lovely husband and family, I was ready to fight and beat the statistics. Most people diagnosed with Glioblastomer are given 6-12 months to live, even with treatment. I was and am determined to beat the odds. It has been 19 months since my Glioblastoma diagnosis, so I am already proving the statistic wrong. I will continue to fight and be within the 5% of people who survive beyond five years.

 

 

I went into the standard treatment of 6 weeks of radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy following the surgery. I tolerated both treatments well and stayed positive throughout. The hardest thing was losing some of my hair and the extreme Fatigue. Unfortunately, the standard treatment hasn't kept the tumour from growing, and I now need to change tactics.

 

 

Trying on my new wig after my Radiation Treatment

 

 

I genuinely believe I can fight this and continue to see my beautiful grandchildren grow up. My family means everything to me, and I am so grateful for their love and support throughout this journey.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for reading my story, and I hope you will join me in kicking cancer's butt!

 

 

All my love, Karen xxx