An online crowdfunding page has been launched by the sister of a young County Antrim mum battling stage four breast cancer, in a bid to raise £80,000 to fund groundbreaking and potentially lifesaving treatment.
Mairi Claire Sayers Rutledge, from the Glenravel area, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, just months after giving birth to son Patrick.
Gemma Sayers setup the recent online fundraiser as a help to finance the treatment for her loved sister Mairi Claire, and to date has raised over £23,000.
Gemma explained:
“Mairi Claire, our incredible and inspirational sister, has been on a long and challenging journey with cancer over the last 2 years.
“Following a scan in October 2020, Mairi Claire was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer, just five months after giving birth to her absolute world, 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.
“As you can imagine, 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.
“Currently, we find ourselves at a point where the standard of care treatment available on the NHS is no longer effective. Chemotherapy can really take its toll on the body and with a (very active!) two year old to think of, Mairi Claire has been researching and working with many specialists to find an integrative approach to treatment that will target the cancerous cells more effectively.
Gemma continued:
“With all this in mind, Mairi Claire will undergo treatment at the Chemothermia Clinic in Istanbul for a minimum of 3 months, which offers groundbreaking treatment that isn’t currently available in the UK.
“It is 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, we hope that Mairi Claire will then be able to receive immunotherapy at another clinic and ultimately give her the best chance of success.
“Many of our lovely friends have expressed that they want to help in any way that they can and have encouraged us to set up this crowdfund to help contribute towards the financial aspect of the treatment and regular travel costs.
“We know that treatment could be ongoing, so any contribution at all or shares on social media would mean more to us than you could ever imagine and it would mean that Mairi Claire can start this treatment that she urgently needs right away. Thank you so much.”
According to Cancer Research UK there are around 55,900 new breast cancer cases in the UK every year - more than 150 every day. Sadly around 11,500 breast cancer deaths occur in the UK every year, or around 32 every day.
Behind every statistic is a story of a person in a battle who hopes, with the support of loved ones, to overcome and beat the most common form of cancer in the country.
If you are able to donate to help fund Mairi Claire’s groundbreaking treatment, please CLICK HERE to visit the fundraising page.
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