I am asking for donations to fund an important diagnostic test for my friend Jo Evans who has breast cancer.

Jo was diagnosed in March and underwent surgery which seems to have been successful. To prevent the return of the cancer, chemotherapy is still the standard treatment after surgery. However, there is a relatively new groundbreaking genomic test which will show whether Jo might actually be able to avoid chemo and instead proceed straight to hormone therapy.

This test (called Oncotype) is currently only available on the NHS to post-menopausal women. Jo doesn‘t fit this criteria but her cancer specialist feels the results would be valid in her particular case. Sadly, due to NICE rules, self-funding is the only option for Jo and the test costs £3,000 in the UK. Chemotherapy can have profound affects on the body, including pushing women of Jo’s age into a premature menopause, so avoiding unnecessary treatment could greatly benefit Jo in the long-term.

Jo is a lovely lady with two teenage children, Jack 14 and Katy 16, and husband Richard. Our daughter’s have been close friends for most of their lives and I would like to do what I can to support the Evans family.

Jo is staying positive and is determined to overcome this. I know it would mean the world to her to have some financial assistance to help her inform the next steps In her treatment. She is hoping to quickly return to the family business making the delicious Figgy’s Christmas puddings.