Evanton woman vows to fight back as appeal is launched for cancer treatment
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A ROSS-shire mother-of-three devastated after being told by doctors that her cancer is incurable has pledged to battle the grim prognosis with cutting-edge treatment overseas.
Mobile hairdresser Lucy Wilson (38) this week told how the heartbreaking diagnosis fired her up to fight back and seek out potentially life-saving therapy in Germany.
Ms Wilson, who is mum to Chloe (18), Caitlin (15) and Savannah (11) – who was born with a rare disability – is refusing to accept the poor prognosis given to her by NHS medics at Raigmore Hospital.
She said dying is just not an option: "I’m only 38. I’ve got three kids, and so much ahead of me. I’m not giving up."
Ms Wilson, who is from Evanton, has endometrial cancer. She went back and fore to the doctors with symptoms for four months before being diagnosed in September.
Two days after the devastating news a car pulled out in front of her causing a major crash in which she suffered a broken sternum and a lacerated lung, forcing her to spend seven days in hospital.
She went on to have several gruelling cycles of chemotherapy which has resulted in the loss of her hair.
Doctors initially thought it was curable but told her it had already spread to three lymph nodes.
However, more recent tests now show the cancer has spread to 20 lymph nodes.
Plans for a radical hysterectomy to remove the cancer were abandoned by doctors who said it would not save her life. They told her there is nothing more they can do for her cancer.
She is now at stage three of the illness, which means it is more advanced but it has not spread to her organs.
She said she will never forget the day she was given the worst news of her life.
"The consultants just kept saying it was incurable. They must have said it six times. I just wanted to run out of the room, I just kept thinking ‘I’m 38 with three kids and you’re telling me there’s nothing you can actually do’. I was crying and saying ‘what do you expect me to do? I’m not going to just sit and take this.’"
After researching other options on the internet, she discovered an alternative treatment which is delivered by a clinic in Germany and not available on the NHS.
It is designed to boost the body’s natural defences to fight the cancer.
Ms Wilson, whose youngest daughter Savannah has Williams syndrome, a developmental disorder characterised by intellectual disability or learning problems, distinctive facial features, and cardiovascular problems, is desperate to start the treatment as quickly as possible so that she can support Savannah when she moves from Kiltearn Primary to St Clement’s School in Dingwall.
She has only managed to raise just over £1000 towards her £28,000 treatment funding goal to date but family and friends are rallying round.
"This new treatment has very good success rates. It’s more natural so I won’t get the side affects that I’m getting with chemo, which is actually worse than the cancer. But it is quite a lot of money. I know that," she said.
Her friends are organising fundraising events to raise money through ticket sales. And her daughters have launched a Just Giving webpage where people can give their bank card details securely to make a donation.
In a poignant appeal, her daughters said: "We are asking for a miracle for treatment abroad to help save our mum. She has been through a lot and just deserves a chance to live and be able to do all the things she hoped too do. We just wanted to ask everyone possible for help to give our mum a fighting chance to beat this."
Ms Wilson added: "Some of my other friends are writing to the This Morning TV show for me and to big companies. But it’s hard because I feel bad having to ask for help and I just keep thinking this is not really happening. It’s just really hard to believe."
The treatment would be delivered by Hufeland Klinic, a holistic cancer treatment centre in the town of Bad Mergentheim in Germany. It claims good success rates for shrinking tumours.
To donate online visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/chloe-calder or call 0771 212 1229 or 01349 830 511. She also has a fundraising page on Facebook called Lucy’s Fund Raising Page.
Forthcoming events include a bash at The Jubilee Hall in Evanton, on March 30, with music by Ezra.
