Lifesaving cancer drugs for my mum
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I have set up this page to try and raise some money as a last resort to pay for a drug my mum needs. In August 2015 my mum received a diagnosis of stage 3b squamous cell lung carcinoma. This news was devastating to us all as a family, especially after my mum lost her own mum to the same disease 8 months earlier. She has fought bravely and has endured horrendous chemotherapy which did nothing. We first came across the immunotherapy drug nivolumab (brand name opdivo) through the Internet, talking to cancer patients in America. This is a revolutionary drug in the cancer world which works by making your own immune system attack the cancer. Nivolumab is a second line treatment for squamous cell and adenocarcinoma if you have previously had a platinum based chemotherapy which has had little or no effect. Due to nivolumab being an immunotherapy, side effects are much milder than with chemotherapy. I have spoken to cancer patients worldwide who have had shrinkage or even remission using this drug. My mum is currently paying privately to be given nivolumab as it is not available on the NHS. The huge expense of this drug means that my mum can not afford to be on it much longer. The thought of her coming off nivolumab scares me so much because recent scans have shown shrinkage of the tumour (which is huge....) this is the first treatment my mum has had which has had positive results. When we run out of money she will have to go on the NHS standard second line treatment for her type of cancer which is docetaxel. Docetaxel is a chemotherapy which only has a 20% success rate and bad side effects. I am setting up this page as a last resort as quite frankly I'm desperate. I've tried NICE, the cancer treatment fund, charities, Bristol Myers Squibb who manufacture the drug, I'm running out of options. I've taken to the Internet to try and raise funds for one month of nivolumab, which is £6,800. I know people have their own problems at home but please even if it's £1, it all helps. I can't lose my mum she's way too young, and she also looks after my brother who has Friedrichs ataxia, he needs her to look after him. I can't face seeing anything bad happen to my mum because of money so please if you can help me and my family would be eternally grateful
Much love
Kirsty
Much love
Kirsty
Organizer
Kirsty Taylor
Organizer