Final fundraising push for Wolves fan looking to secure life-saving treatment goal.
A lifelong Wolves fan is looking to raise the final £4,000 needed to start potentially life-saving immunotherapy treatment in Cyprus.
Family, friends and supporters of Claire Elliott have already rallied round to raise a staggering £18,000 for the cause, but the final amount is required quicker than ever after it was discovered that the cancer had unfortunately spread.
The devastating news was revealed to the former nurse and lawyer after a routine MRI was being completed to see if she could have a robotic hysterectomy, an operation that would have made her cancer-free for the first time in four years.
Now with a prognosis of just a few months to live, the race is on to hit the £22,000 figure.
“This year has been an emotional rollercoaster, from being told there was a good chance my terminal diagnosis would be reversed to then being informed my cancer had spread and I was looking at a few months to live,” explained Claire, who has watched over 1,500 Wolves games with her husband Greg.
“Then you’ve got the added implications of Covid-19 meaning trials have been delayed due to a lack of ICU beds, treatment suspended and the constant fear of knowing you’re a vulnerable person.”
She continued: “It’s difficult, but I’ve got to look at the positives and my best chance of survival now is Pembroluzimab, an immunotherapy agent that is currently not available for my type of cancer in the UK.
“The treatment costs £3,200 per cycle and the only place it can be carried out at the moment is in Cyprus. I’ll need a minimum of five sessions to assess if it is having any impact and, if successful, up to thirty-five cycles in total.
“My oncologist had completed an Individual Funding Request (to NHS England to see if my case warrants specialist support and access to new immunotherapy agents. Unfortunately, it has been declined and I don’t know why – another example of faceless organisations playing with people’s lives, and I can’t begin to explain the pain this causes.”
A GoFundMe page has been set-up to support the fundraising and has already raised nearly £18,500 from over 600 donations.
Wolves fans have really got behind the push on social media and, prior to the pandemic taking hold, arranged numerous events, including a Race Night at local pub the Duke of York.
Activities also included an amazing donation of £,2771 from Michelle Cartwright on behalf of Team Jules, which was the money raised for her friend Julie Garrett-Payne. Unfortunately, she passed away from cancer before they could raise the required amount, but the friends behind it wanted to donate the total to give someone else a fighting chance.
Claire concluded: “Everyone has been really kind and I appreciate the effort people have made to help raise the cash during what is a really difficult time.
“We’re really close to the target and one last push could see us reach it and then I can hopefully have one final chance of beating this cancer once and for all.
“I haven’t had any treatment for four months now and I know the tumour is growing, causing me a lot of pain in my pelvis. The possibility of immunotherapy and a future trial is all that is keeping me going.”
