Family’s appeal for tumour mum
The family of a Peterlee mum have launched a campaign to raise funds to pay for a potentially life-saving treatment after she was diagnosed with three brain tumours.
Emma Selby, 38 was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2017 after suffering from dizzy spells and sickness though radiotherapy stopped it from growing.
Earlier a second tumour was found during a routine scan, though treatment for this was delayed due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
By the time Emma was able to attend hospital for treatment in May, a third more aggressive tumour, a high grade astrocytoma, was located.
Her family have been left devastated and are now raising funds to put the mum through a course of cell therapy which they believe will help her tackle the illness.
Emma’s sister Karen set up the fundraising page after looking at alternative treatments and finding a clinic in Spain that is confident if Emma’s blood is compatible, they can treat her.
Karen said: "We didn’t know how quickly the tumours grew and after the radiotherapy was postponed because of Covid-19, it was heartbreaking to find out a third tumour had been found.
“This treatment definitely seems to work and people who have been diagnosed with terminal cancers are now in remission.
"If Emma could get this treatment it would mean everything to us, she really feels like the unluckiest person in the world.”
The fitness fanatic, who’s 14-year-old son Thomas is also helping with the campaign, went through three months of chemotherapy treatment but was told by doctors that the treatment hadn’t worked.
The specialist treatment is known as immunotherapeutic dendritic cell therapy and is a drug-free treatment which extracts the patient’s blood to be medically altered before it is re-injected back into the body.
Karen added: “I really do believe this can work however this third tumour is very aggressive so we don’t have much time.
“She’s my sister, my best friend, and my motivator, and I know if we can hit our target it could save Emma’s life.
"I know if we can hit our target it could save Emma’s life. She deserves that and Thomas deserves to have his mum around.”
The treatment costs around £26,000 per cycle and it is expected that Emma would need three rounds of treatment, which could be carried out by a specialist team in England due to the ongoing coronavirus travel restrictions.
Costs also include another £4,500 for follow up injections to ensure the treatment works.
Over 500 people have already donated to the The Go Fund Me page but the family still need donations to reach the £80,000 costs of treatment.
Karen added: “We are all overwhelmed at the support we’ve had from the community.
"The family all say we just wish we could take a tumour each from her but she’s determined to fight this.
"Everyone has been absolutely amazing, we can’t believe how generous everyone has been, we can’t ask for any more than that.”