Cancer Mum's Turkish Hope
A Benton mum who has battled cancer for more than 12 years has turned to her online community of friends to help her raise money to pay for ground-breaking and lifesaving treatment that is currently unavailable on the NHS.
Mairi Claire Routledge was diagnosed with Stage Four Breast Cancer in October 2020 just five months after giving birth to her son, Patrick. Since then, she has spent whatever free time she has researching and learning more about her cancer and has taken an integrative and metabolic approach in a bid to heal her body. This has been an incredibly challenging process but one which has demonstrated her immense courage, determination, and positive attitude. Throughout this long journey, she has been an inspiration to her friends and family.
Now she is raising money for unique treatment at the Chemothermia Clinic in Istanbul for a minimum of three months, which offers ground-breaking care and treatment unavailable on the NHS.
“I’ve found myself at a point where the standard of care treatment available on the NHS is no longer effective. Chemotherapy is really taking its toll on my body and with a very active two-year-old to think of, I need to stay as fit as I can. I’ve researched and worked with many specialists to find an integrative approach to treatment that will target the cancerous cells more effectively and I believe my only real chance is to go to Istanbul for help,” said Mairi Claire.
It's a decision that hasn’t been made lightly, particularly as it will mean leaving Patrick, who she has never been apart from, for days at a time. The treatment she will go through will also be intensive and exhausting, but it is exactly what Mairi Claire urgently needs at this point to target the cancer more directly. Following this treatment, it is hoped that Mairi Claire will then be able to receive immunotherapy at another clinic and ultimately give her the best chance of success.
To help her with the estimated £80,000 she needs, many of her friends have expressed that they want to help in any way that they can, so her sister Gemma Sayers has set up a crowdfund page to help contribute towards the financial aspect of the treatment and regular travel costs.
www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/gemma-sayers