Stacey’s fight to battling bowel cancer

Stacey Mitchell at age 34 received heart-breaking news in July 2021 that she had stage 4 bowel cancer.

Stacey has two small children Lloyd aged 4 and Blake aged 1 and unfortunately was diagnosed at a time when she should have been her happiest, she was 29 weeks pregnant with Blake her second baby.

Baby Blake was delivered by caesarean at 32 weeks on 6th August 2021 weigh a tiny 3lb 9oz but fortunately healthy! 12 days later Stacey had life saving surgery resulting in a permanent ileostomy. At this time Stacey and Scott were optimistic that the cancer could be beat and the ileostomy to be the worst of this story unfortunately that wasn't meant to be.

In September 2021 Stacey was advised of a a genetic disease FAP. Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a rare, inherited condition caused by a defect in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene. Most people inherit the gene from a parent. But for 25 to 30 percent of people, the genetic mutation occurs spontaneously.

Unfortunately in Stacey's case there was no family history making it even harder to detect. More unsettlingly though Stacey and Scott were advised that both their beautiful boys Lloyd and Blake would be at a 50% risk of inheriting this relentless disease from their mum.

Stacey underwent intensive courses of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgeries to remove numerous organs and it was thought that there could be a successful end.

Unfortunately Scott and Stacey were hit again with more painful news. July 2022 Stacey was told that the cancer had spread to the liver and pelvis area, whilst possible to operate on the liver consultants in the UK were not willing/able to operate on the pelvis.

 

Stacey was started on Palliative Care in October 2022. A CT scan taken 29th December 2022 showed the cancer in the liver which started off as 2cm had grown again, and the disease in the pelvis had increased significantly. The chemotherapy was not working.

As an almost last resort Rosemere Preston Cancer Centre have put Stacey on Lonsurf tablets. Stacey started this treatment in mid January 2023. It is unclear if this is having any impact yet.

Stacey and Scott have not given up yet! The goal now is to stop the cancer from progressing and affecting other organs through immunotherapy and other integrative medicine therapies that work alongside chemotherapy.

Scott has spent countless nights researching, in an attempt to find a miracle to keep his wife alive.

He has come across some treatments that he thinks may be suitable, some of those include:

Intravenous Vitamin C treatment - recent studies have shown this treatment achieve objective regression of the disease and effective control of tumour progression. Estimated cost - £180 per infusion, 3 per week.

Dendritic Cell Therapy (DCT) - a natural treatment that activates the body’s own immune cells and helps the body defeat cancer on its own. Estimated cost - £25-40k excluding any travel costs.

Hyperbaric Chamber Sessions - flooding the system with concentrated oxygen can help make cancer cells easier to kill with treatments like chemotherapy while also activating the healing process in the body. Estimated cost £80 per session, sessions needed after every chemotherapy session at a minimum.

If successful, these treatments would help to keep Stacey's disease under control. It would not go away, but Stacey's life expectancy and quality of life would greatly increase.

Unfortunately, these treatments are not all available in the UK, and are not covered by Stacey's health benefits, meaning the only way she can receive these life-changing treatments would be to pay herself.

The estimated cost of these innovative treatments is in the tens of thousands, and whilst they are willing pay whatever they can, it is money Stacey and family do not have, and due to the disease's aggressive nature, time is of the essence.

So, I am asking for help on Stacey's behalf. It's a difficult time for most financially right now. Still, anything you can give, any amount, will mean the world to Stacey, Scott and their sons and will go directly towards paying for these treatments, giving Stacey more precious time with her husband Scott and her children Lloyd and Blake.

Any assistance that anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated and accepted. Please help, and join Stacey in this fight!