Danielle Cumberworth
Limping over the line for Lymphoma
Fundraising for Blood Cancer UK
Story
*** UPDATE ***
Since starting my Just giving page last year Ashley sadly passed away on the 9th October 2017 leaving behind a massive whole in everyones hearts. Ashley was the life a sole of any gathering and was the kindest most generous person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. He will always hold a place in my heart.
Ashley had a 2 year battle with his lymphoma, not only was it a rare form of lymphoma that took many months to diagnose, it learnt how to mutate and became immune to the standard chemotherapies.
Blood Cancers continue to be one of the hardest cancers to treat, it is so important to raise awareness and money so charities such as blood wise can continue to invest in research and trials for people with blood cancers.
Many of Ashleys trials were funded by Blood wise and even though they didn't work for Ash, they have worked for many others.
Blood wise are currently funding the Immunotherapy drug that Ashley so badly needed, they are running a trial and funding spaces for 20 people.
It came a little too late for Ash, however this new drug could potentially save others.
Ashley had the idea (obviously because it wasn't him running) last year after i doubled and smashed my initial target of £500 (thank you to everyone who donated) to double the distance. Now i have always wanted to run the London Marathon and it has always been on my bucket list so with this in mind I contacted Bloodwise and completed an application to apply for a charity place. Bloodwise has very limited spaces however after months of waiting on the 8th October 2017 a day before Ashley passed away i received a call to say I was being offered a place. I ran downstairs to tell Ash who was so excited for me, he told me how proud he was and that he was sorry he wasn't going to be there at the finish line to see me in.
This marathon for me now has so much more meaning than just something i can tick off my bucket list, Im going to finish those 26 miles even if I have to crawl over the finish line, and i know Ash you will be there every mile with me.
I will still be completing the London half marathon in March along with a second half marathon later on in March. In september this year I will also be taking part in my first ever Triathlon.
If anyone would like to donate, your if anyone is wanting to raise money for Bloodwise in Ashleys memory please let me know. Bloodwise is a charity that was close to Ashley and I and this year, 2018 I will be doing all i can to raise as much as I can for them.
Ashley didn't get a cure. He didn't get to live. Lets find the cure for someone else, so they can <3
ITS WHAT BOMBER WOULD HAVE WANTED
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Read Ashleys Story here:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ashley-grant-smith-1
2 months into meeting Ashley and we were just getting to know each other - I could tell he was going to be a handful but nothing could quite prepare me for how much of a handful he's turned out to be.
It was a Thursday afternoon and Ashley was called by his GP to come into see them ASAP as tests on a "sebaceous cyst" in his neck had showed something unexpected. I left work and headed to London - and so it began... Suspected CANCER.
After initial tests and weeks of waiting, the original diagnosis was Sarcoma. However, the Dr's were still not 100% sure as to what type of disease it was. Biopsies, Bone Marrow Tests, Scans, you name it he had it. It was around 3 months of anxious waiting, googling every type of Sarcoma under the sun to then be told that his official diagnosis was something completely different - Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma NOS.
Finally a diagnosis but not the one we wanted to hear. A Blood Cancer that is so rare and individual that there is currently not a standard treatment available - overall survival rates for this type of Lymphoma are around 20%.
After exhausting the google database I came to the realisation that there is very little published information on T-Cell lymphomas and everything I did read wasn't very promising. This is why the work of Bloodwise and other charities such as Lymphoma Association are so important.
Ashley has to this date received 3 chemotherapy regimes (CHOP, ESHAP and IVE) all of which have failed to get him into the remission he needs for His Bone Marrow Transplant. He has spent a number of weeks in hospital with life threatening infections and I've had many sleepless nights and trains to be besides his hospital bed. He has also had intensive Radiotherapy and just when we thought we were getting somewhere, results from
His scan showed that it had spread to his bones, liver and lymph nodes across his lymphatic system. It took 8 months to get Ashley a diagnosis and although the NHS has been fantastic, this shows that there needs to be more research into these cancers.
It has been the most difficult year of my life especially after losing my Grandma to cancer 3 years ago. I often think to myself why us? What have we done to
Deserve this? Ashley is not only my boyfriend but he is also my best friend, and faced with the possibility of losing him is heartbreaking. This should be the time of our lives where we live, and travel the world. We shouldn't be sitting in hospital rooms waiting on results to determine whether we will have the rest of our lives together.
Ashley is currently on a trial, which is funded by charities such as bloodwise. We are faced by a real possibility that all treatment options will run out and it is so important that we can raise money to fund more trials like this in the hope of finding a cure - not just for Ashley but for everyone one else facing the same reality.
Ashley has always remained positive (even when his beloved hair fell out!) and has been there for me when Ive not been as strong as he has. His family and friends have been amazing and a big support unit for him. I am now running my first half marathon around London to try and raise money to show my support to everyone in need of help and for those trying to help.
I won't give up on him or his fight...That's why I am running for Bloodwise.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.