Fighting Cancer - Support My Dads Chance To Live

My name is Ethan and I am writing this on behalf of my Dad and my family.

For those of you that know or have known my Dad, James Barrett, you will all know he values his pride above all else and would much rather face his battles alone than discuss his personal problems and feel like a burden to others. He is the strongest person I know and me and my two younger brother have always admired and looked up to him our entire lives which is why we will do anything we can to help him get the treatment he needs. A lot of the information below he has kept private for a long time however it seems there are now no other options left apart from reaching out in desperate hope for support from the community surrounding our family.

My Dad has always been a massive role model to me and both of my younger brothers. Unfortunately, in the last few years, he has been battling (DTC) Differentiated Thyroid Cancer. The doctors have tried various methods but none have succeeded with even the slightest bit of progress, as he sorrowfully falls under the 5-10% of suffering patients who have had their thyroid cancer metastasise to other parts of the body such as the lungs and lymph nodes which is sadly my dad's situation. When thyroid cancer dedifferentiates and metastasises it can become (RAI) Radioiodine Refractory which means it no longer responds to radioiodine treatment which is the only treatment available within the NHS.

Over time my dad has spoken with numerous doctors and advisers from Cornwall to London searching for a resolution to help bring light to this stressful and painful situation but has had very little hope up until now, with the only possibility being drugs which will slow down the tumour growth. This medication has many side effects and would only work until these side effects became too much or the tumour stopped responding to the medication. This was a very despairing time for my dad as he had to decide to either start taking this medication whilst possibly negatively impacting his final moments with me, my two younger brothers and my mum by limiting his physical health. It was a very difficult decision for him when it seemed every chance of hope was gone.

My family have been on such a challenging journey and we have tried to do everything we possibly can for my Dad. After discovering the NHS could do no more, he had a phone call with the Royal Marsden Hospital in London to look into trial treatments and received an appointment there to discuss this. This filled our family with hope and fresh determination, however after travelling all the way from Cornwall to London and booking accommodation, we were disappointed to find the same advice that we had received already at home. This was a really hard time as it knocked my Dad's spirits and belief in remission hugely, which was difficult to see as a family as he had become much more positive-minded with the idea of other opportunities.

Recently Dad has been reaching out to many cancer specialists in alternative countries as the Royal Marsden said there may be treatments internationally, such as America, Germany and Spain in an attempt to discover any possible treatments or trial treatments available that could help his cancer condition. After numerous dead ends and deep research, the cancer specialist team at HC Marbella reached out to Dad offering an innovative and cutting-edge treatment known as immunotherapy which harnesses the body's own immune system to fight cancer cells. However, as with any advanced medical treatment, it comes with significant costs. It is also offered in other countries however this was the most financially realistic opportunity we could find as for other treatments you were looking at were from 50k - 250k. The specialist team at HC Marbella have said Dad's tumours are currently at a perfect stage for this treatment to provide its full potential hopefully leading to remission. Even if his cancer did not manage to reach full remission it would still massively help provide Dad more time to make many key memories with our family whilst still having a good quality of life. For this to happen it would be amazing as it wouldn't only just re-ignite the spark in my dad but in the whole family as we have been on a rollercoaster of hope and disappointment throughout this journey. Since this opportunity came up my Dad's attitude towards his illness has changed and you can see the spark beginning to grow again, this has been amazing to see as a family as we want every day with him to be as good as it can be.

Due to Dad being ill, he has been out of employment meaning my mum works 6 days a week at 2 jobs to provide for our family of 5, this means that covering the cost of Dads's treatment plus the travel and accommodation expenses is near impossible. It is really frustrating for us as a family as we know there is treatment available however if he doesn't go within the next couple of months the specialist team have said his tumour may grow too much for even this treatment to work anymore. As a family this is heartbreaking to hear as the potential to save my Dad's life is there however we feel financially trapped and so have reached out in the hope of some support in providing my Dad and my family with this sudden newfound hope. We understand many families and people are struggling financially at this current time therefore even just sharing this page with others would be hugely appreciated.

Any contributions no matter the size will help my Dad get one step closer to winning his fight against cancer. Not only will it provide financial support to get the treatment, but it will also provide him with a chance to live and watch me and my brothers grow into the people he has always inspired us to be.

As a family, we thank you so much for taking the time to read and consider this post.