‘I don’t want to leave my kids’ – Redditch cancer mum’s last ditch hope to get life saving treatment

Mum-of-two Susie Payne, 38, has terminal breast cancer but has found a surgeon in Mexico who can give her life-saving treatment

The family of a mum of two young children has started a campaign to raise £120,000 for potentially life-saving cancer treatment for her in Mexico.

Susie Payne, aged 38, has been fighting breast cancer for three years and has now been told by the NHS that it is terminal.

But the family has found a doctor in South America who can give Susie pioneering treatment which could save her life – but it will cost £120,000. By Friday, almost £40,000 had been raised.

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Susie, who lives in Studley near Redditch, found a lump in her breast in 2018, just three weeks after giving birth to her daughter Edith, now aged three.

It was found to be triple negative breast cancer – a rare and difficult one to treat.

She underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and also had a double mastectomy – all while looking after Edith and her son Albie, now aged six.

Sadly, just before Christmas 2020, Susie and her husband Leo, had the devastating news that the cancer had returned and was in her lungs. Although it was only a very small tumour, Susie was now classed as having stage 4 cancer.

Susie said: “When you have stage 4 triple negative breast cancer there are no positive words to be heard from an oncologist.

“I felt completely written off and the treatment offered was classed as palliative care.

“That was the worst of all oncologist meetings so far – feeling absolutely fine and being told I had about 12 months to live.

“All I could think about was my children – I don’t want to leave them, I don’t want their life to revolve around the fact that their mommy died when they were so young.”

But not to be put off, the family decided to see what other options were available for Susie.

Leo, aged 43, who owns and runs Studley Campers in Redditch, said he did “tons of reading” to educate himself on cancer and its treatment.

Through this research they found American doctor Jason Williams who set up the Williams Cancer Institute in Mexico and specialises in carrying out cutting edge immunotherapy which works by targeting the cancer cells rather than the whole body.

Susie said: “This is not palliative care but treatment with the possibility of it being curative.”

The family managed to raise the £50,000 cost of travelling to Mexico in January through savings, loans and Susie’s mum re-mortgaging her house.

But latest scans have shown that one session wasn’t enough and at least four more are needed.

“Dr Williams is still confident that he can bring this cancer under control, but more treatment is needed,” Susie said.

“A further four rounds of treatment would cost approximately £120,000 – it’s such a huge amount of money that we just don’t have.”

The family are now having three-way conversations with Dr Williams and Susie’s UK oncologist at Stratford District Hospital to see what treatments could be available privately in the UK.

She said: “I’m going to do what gives me the best chance to stay with my family. We are still being positive, we believe this can be controlled, we just haven’t managed it yet.”

Leo said the family felt very uncomfortable launching a public appeal for help – but it was now their only option.

“I sold my car this week and put the money from that into the GoFundMe appeal,” he said. The only other option for us was to sell our house, which I don’t want to do because it will uproot the children.

“This GoFundMe campaign is difficult for me as I’m quite a proud person and I’ve never asked anyone for anything in my life. I’ve always looked after myself and worked and pride myself on looking after my family.

“But the only way we can raise this sort of money now is through a public appeal like this”

As well as the Mexico option, Leo said they had also looked at other private treatment of immunotherapy and different kinds of chemotherapy not available on the NHS.

Susie said: “I’m supposed to be enjoying the best years of my life with my husband Leo and Albie and Edith, but the whole of this year has been filled with pain and fear.”

To donate to Susie and Leo’s GoFundMe appeal, click here.

Source: BirminghamLive. ByJane Tyler