‘I raised £140k for cancer vaccine. But now I have another tumour’
IN SEPTEMBER last year, after months of experiencing headaches, trips back and forth to the GP and hospital visits due to unexplained seizures, then eventually a stroke, Matthew Collins was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He was told he had two to three months to live.
At the time, he penned a beautiful letter saying goodbye to his friends and loved ones. But Matt, 35, decided to do everything in his power to make whatever time he had left longer, and he set about researching and pursuing treatments that weren’t available on the NHS. He fundraised £140,000 and started a pioneering treatment, called DcVax-L. It is an immunotherapy vaccine and is currently being considered by Nice for use on the NHS.
Trials have shown promising results, but the cost is huge, hundreds of thousands of pounds, huge. And Matt, from Aberdare, is overwhelmingly grateful that he has been able to access the treatment for the glioblastoma.
He started the treatment – which costs £75,000 for three doses, plus £10,000 hospital fees and a £1.5k shipping fee – in February.
Matt wishes he could “repay” everyone who has been so kind and generous in their donations. He said: “I’d be nowhere without their support. It’s incredibly stressful having to rely on the goodwill of other people to access treatments that aren’t available on the NHS.”
Matt also underwent surgery in October to remove the original 4cm by 4cm tumour. However, recently a scan revealed a new growth in a different location of his brain, his medical team are unsure whether they will be able to operate yet as it is deeper in his brain than the previous tumour.
He is due to have another scan at the end of the month to see if the latest round of chemotherapy, as well as the
DcVax, is working. In the meantime, he continues to research and pursue as many treatment options as possible. These treatments aren’t available on the NHS and Matt has relied on the massive amount of donations he has had so far, but to pursue further treatments, Matt needs more funds.
“With a life expectancy of 12-18 months from diagnosis, time is very much of the essence. It’s an extra stress that brain cancer patients can do without. It’s the most devastating diagnosis and I think funding shouldn’t come down to cost, but a person’s quality of life.”
As well as pursuing additional treatment, Matt has also changed his diet, as evidence shows a plant-based diet, free of sugar and refined carbohydrates, as improving outcomes for cancer patients. But the pursuit of improving his outcome comes with a lot of stress, Matt admitted that he worries he is “not doing enough.”
He said: “It’s like a full-time job, it’s exhausting. Most days I have intense brain fog so reading papers and emailing doctors, desperately trying to find out what is available and at what cost is very tiring and hard to understand.”
Matt is waiting for his next scan results to see if he will pursue a fifth dose of DcVax, but he is considering exploring other therapies if not.
If you’d like to donate, visit gofundme.com and search for Glioblastoma – (DcVax-L) immunotherapy vaccine.