We (Becca and Alex) are going to run the Weymouth Half Marathon on the 20th March 2016 for our dear friend Leanne Nicholas. We are not natural runners (Becca falls over a lot, and Alex would rather run a bath…). We’re doing this because we need your help.
Who is Leanne?
We have known Leanne since we were 12 and at school together in Dorset. Leanne is as feisty as she is warm and has one of the loudest and most brilliant laughs you could imagine. Leanne successfully battled ovarian cancer when she was 18. She now lives in Australia with her husband Shayne, and they have a beautiful 2-year-old daughter, Jess.
Earlier last year, at the age of 30, Leanne was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and was told she would not likely survive to Christmas 2015. The cancer had metastasised to her lungs where there were “innumerable” tumours. The survival rate for pancreatic cancer is 3% and, like the ovarian cancer she had previously, it is incredibly rare in a person of Leanne’s age. Leanne is fighting this stupid cancer (because it really is stupid) with every fibre of her being. She has responded to the intense chemotherapy amazingly well, confusing all the doctors with her progress and positivity.
Why are we asking for your help?
Unfortunately, it is not enough to just be willing to undergo treatment, you have to be able to pay for it. The financial battle is a very real one, on top of the cancer. Not all treatment costs are covered by the Australian health system, and those which are mostly likely to have the best outcome are the newest developments which are often not funded, particularly for people with rare cancers such as Leanne's. Recently, doctors have suggested that Leanne may be able to have a targeted therapy that will increase her chances of survival. She will need at least 3 expensive genetic tests to determine if this is possible (one of these alone is roughly £800). The health system may pay for some of the genetic testing and possibly for any viable targeted therapy. Even if this is funded, the money raised on this page will still be crucial to Leanne’s recovery; it will go towards, food, child-care, fuel to get to appointments and additional side-effect reducing treatments such as acupuncture and bowen therapy. All of this helps to augment the chemotherapy and lessen the stress, improving the length and the quality of Leanne’s life. We really want to help her do that.
There is also a chance that Jess (Leanne’s daughter) shares the same genetic susceptibility. The tests could therefore help Leanne and Shayne protect their daughter from cancer in the future.
So we’re running this half marathon and asking for your help for a few reasons:
1. To raise money to help fund Leanne through the rest of her treatment.
2. To potentially help Jess, her daughter, in the future.
3. To raise awareness of pancreatic cancer, a rare and forgotten disease.
We’d be so very grateful if you could either sponsor us with whatever pennies you could spare, or simply share this page around. This will help spur us on so we can help Leanne and her family.
Thank you!
Becca and Alex
Who is Leanne?
We have known Leanne since we were 12 and at school together in Dorset. Leanne is as feisty as she is warm and has one of the loudest and most brilliant laughs you could imagine. Leanne successfully battled ovarian cancer when she was 18. She now lives in Australia with her husband Shayne, and they have a beautiful 2-year-old daughter, Jess.
Earlier last year, at the age of 30, Leanne was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and was told she would not likely survive to Christmas 2015. The cancer had metastasised to her lungs where there were “innumerable” tumours. The survival rate for pancreatic cancer is 3% and, like the ovarian cancer she had previously, it is incredibly rare in a person of Leanne’s age. Leanne is fighting this stupid cancer (because it really is stupid) with every fibre of her being. She has responded to the intense chemotherapy amazingly well, confusing all the doctors with her progress and positivity.
Why are we asking for your help?
Unfortunately, it is not enough to just be willing to undergo treatment, you have to be able to pay for it. The financial battle is a very real one, on top of the cancer. Not all treatment costs are covered by the Australian health system, and those which are mostly likely to have the best outcome are the newest developments which are often not funded, particularly for people with rare cancers such as Leanne's. Recently, doctors have suggested that Leanne may be able to have a targeted therapy that will increase her chances of survival. She will need at least 3 expensive genetic tests to determine if this is possible (one of these alone is roughly £800). The health system may pay for some of the genetic testing and possibly for any viable targeted therapy. Even if this is funded, the money raised on this page will still be crucial to Leanne’s recovery; it will go towards, food, child-care, fuel to get to appointments and additional side-effect reducing treatments such as acupuncture and bowen therapy. All of this helps to augment the chemotherapy and lessen the stress, improving the length and the quality of Leanne’s life. We really want to help her do that.
There is also a chance that Jess (Leanne’s daughter) shares the same genetic susceptibility. The tests could therefore help Leanne and Shayne protect their daughter from cancer in the future.
So we’re running this half marathon and asking for your help for a few reasons:
1. To raise money to help fund Leanne through the rest of her treatment.
2. To potentially help Jess, her daughter, in the future.
3. To raise awareness of pancreatic cancer, a rare and forgotten disease.
We’d be so very grateful if you could either sponsor us with whatever pennies you could spare, or simply share this page around. This will help spur us on so we can help Leanne and her family.
Thank you!
Becca and Alex
Organizer
Becca Jayne
Organizer