"When sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions" (Hamlet (Claudius) IV.v.). 

Picture this:

One day, you're in a happy relationship and raising your baby boy together. The next, your partner suddenly dies in a motor accident and you're left alone struggling to deal with desperate grief, shock and loneliness and trying to cope with the demands of a bewildered toddler on your own. Two years later, you're diagnosed with cervical cancer; over the next 4 years various treatments are tried with varying degrees of success and occasional mismanagement. Your father, who has been one of your main supporters, suffers a stroke. During all this, you continue to devote yourself to your son, despite having to give up work and frequently being in terrible pain. Then you reach a point where the health services in the UK have nothing further to offer. But research reveals that there are many advanced treatments on offer  abroad that we simply don’t have in the UK. One clinic in San Diego offers a protocol that they feel offers you a reasonable chance of success, at the very least for an extension of life until your son reaches adulthood....but the clinic is expensive, and you now have no money left after the prolonged expense of getting this far. 

Such has been the devastating catalogue of events which have shaped the last 7 years of Amanda James' life. She has addressed these considerable challenges with astonishing courage and tenacity and has the deepest gratitude to her friends and family for their love and support. She has regularly exceeded all expectations with amazing successes derived from a combination of sheer determination and leaving no stone unturned. This has afforded her extended stretches of good quality life. By now, she had hoped she would have no more need of charity and could just get on with living, and bringing up her 8-year old son. Unfortunately, we have not yet reached that stage. Her remaining hope is the San Diego clinic, where treatment includes IPT (insulin-potentiated chemotherapy) combined with metabolic and immune support therapy. Expensive it is, but as the clinic states in its letter to her, after examining her history, "You will experience definite improvement without side effects of conventional treatments that may provide quality of life for many years to come."

Sometimes it's hard work just staying alive. Amanda is desperate to do so, predominantly for the sake of her little boy. Losing your father when you are  only 14 months of age is tough, to say the least; then to lose your mother when you are 8 years old  would be genuinely tragic. A diminutive tiger, Amanda will do anything to prevent his becoming an orphan. At the moment, he is unaware of the seriousness of his mother's condition, and she is very keen that he remain so.

Amanda has got this far thanks to the unstinting support of her family and close friends plus the magnificent efforts of a friend in Cornwall who organised a mini auction, sponsored swim & zumba. What is needed now is the support of a much wider circle of people, to open the door to treatment that she now needs, but which is far beyond her means. Furthermore, she needs this support quickly as time is of the essence in getting to San Diego for treatment before her condition deteriorates.

The options for contribution are open. PLEASE do ANYTHING you can to raise the money this charming, kind and devoted mother needs so that she can at least have the chance of living long enough to give her boy a childhood, and possibly even regain her health completely.

There are success stories out there. Let's make hers one of them.

(N.B. Please also note, as suggested above, that great care and sensitivity needs to be taken when discussing Amanda's case openly, in order to protect her son. Frightening him can only aggravate the situation.This is of course especially relevant with those who know Amanda and her family, but must also be a consideration for the rest of us.  Thank you.)

Links

Amanda has a number of friends who have had great success after being treated at the San Diego Clinic. One of them - also called Amanda - has written a first-hand account of her treatment. Her cancer was shrunk and removed, and  when she returned to the clinic in February this year.....all tests showed her to be cancer-free!

For those of you who wish to know more about the treatment protocol, and to read her inspiring story, please follow the link below:

http://www.canceractivepatientgroup.com/?p=1111