A Bristol family has appealed for help for mum of two, Leanne Williams, who has bravely fought an incredibly long five year battle with leukaemia. She now has one last option with a clinical trial at King’s College Hospital in London, but needs support with accommodation during that time as she will be an outpatient during treatment.
Her brother-in-law Tim Clark who launched the GoFundMe page last week to raise funds for her stay in London, describes Leanne as “a kind, fun-loving and unbelievably positive mother, sister and daughter who has gone through a heart-breaking journey over the past five years”.
With a goal of £7,500 to fund her London stay and just over £5,000 being raised in the first two days, speaking from Bristol Oncology Hospital, Leanne said: “The thought of being away from home and doing this without my family has made this journey much more frightening than the thought of being on a clinical trial”. In a message to everyone who has donated so far, she said: "It's been very overwhelming and so amazing that so many people actually care. I am feeling so much love, you are helping more than you know.”
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Her battle to survive started five years ago when Leanne, who is in her 30s and has two teenage boys, noticed a lump on her neck. At the time she was four months pregnant expecting her third child.
She went to her local GP and a few days later, was admitted to Bristol Oncology hospital and diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL). She was told that if she continued with her pregnancy, neither she nor her baby would survive.
Her third son Theo who born 'sleeping' at 20 weeks, did not survive. Trying to deal with the heartbreak and trauma, Leanne started intensive chemotherapy the following day.
At first she responded well, but a few months later suffered a series of seizures and was admitted to intensive care. With her condition deteriorating further, her family were called to the hospital late one night with doctors advising it was unlikely Leanne was going to pull through.
Tim said following that night: “Leanne made miraculous progress. After doctors managed her seizures, her treatment continued more successfully and while it was often challenging, isolating, painful and uncertain, she went into remission”. Her treatment ended in August 2020 and Tim said following the relaxation of lockdown, the family “celebrated her successful journey, her second chance at life and remembered Theo."
They spent a week in South Africa with her partner’s family and started making plans for this summer. But then “just before Christmas, Leanne noticed another lump on her neck and went through the same heart-breaking process, a quick diagnosis of leukaemia before immediately re-starting an intense period of chemotherapy,” said Tim. But this latest treatment has not been successful.
Leanne said that she lost her hair within four days of starting chemotherapy. "It was so shocking to lose my hair like that and it’s not fair that it took my hair, but not my cancer," she said.
For her three month medical trial in London, it is Leanne’s last ditch attempt to beat her cancer and she has worried over spending what could be limited time on her own in London and being away from her boys and family as she undergoes treatment. Funds raised on the GoFundMe page will be used for accommodation for her and family who have also appealed to anyone who can help with accommodation close to King’s College Hospital.
Tim said : “Leanne needs to start this treatment immediately, so we are urgently seeking support.”
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