Help Tom get life-saving treatment

This is my partner, Tom Ashford. He needs urgent help to fund innovative treatment that’s not available on the NHS to help fight Stage IV Stomach Cancer. These life-saving funds will be used to help us get to Poland and access the vital operation he needs which has been scheduled for early July. Please could you help us make that appointment?

Tom and I discovered the hard way how insidious a disease stomach cancer is.  As men often do, Tom ignored minor stomach discomfort until a referral appointment by his GP to the gastrointestinal unit at Bristol Royal Infirmary at the beginning of March confirmed the devastating news; Tom had advanced cancer of the stomach and the NHS is unwilling to provide surgical options other than palliative chemotherapy.  

This news means we’ve had to be creative and ‘think outside the box’ - and quickly!  

So we have done our research and we have found a clinic in Lublin, Poland that works outside the remit of what the NHS are prepared to offer, but we feel this can provide Tom with a treatment option that we hope will lead to a better prognosis than the one we are currently being given in the UK.     

As fate would have it, we were introduced to another Bristol couple who had been in an almost identical situation, Stage IV Stomach Cancer diagnosed in June 2016.  This Hanham housewife - a similar age to us - had the same oncologist and Macmillan nurse in Bristol and had been given the same diagnosis as Tom, just months to live! She has already been operated on in Poland by Professor Polkowski (Head of Oncology at Lublin University Hospital) who had successfully removed her advanced tumour.  For Tom, Dr Polkowski proposes to perform a gastrectomy with Hi-Pec which for the uninformed stands for Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, a relatvely new technique whereby the stomach is 'washed' through using an intensive type of chemotherapy at a temperature of 42 degrees celsius this focuses solely on the stomach whilst opend up for the surgery instead of the the whole body.  We met up recently with our 'housewife'  to discuss what was practically involved with the operation  and to see how she was doing almost a year later. We were delighted and amazed to hear that her latest blood results showed no cancer cells present and is now starting her process of remission!

This news has completely changed our focus.  Given that Tom’s cancer is not quite as invasive as hers was, It’s giving us real hope that there is a practical alternative to palliative chemo, and the prospect of an extended time together with a good quality of life.
 


But what can I tell you about Tom? In a nutshell, I’ve never loved anyone so much. My only regret is that I didn’t meet him earlier.  

I met Tom 13 years ago at a party but it was two years later that that we finally got together. About five years on and I reflected on my relationship with Tom and my life.  I realised I had never been so contented and happy. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to experience the love that Tom and I share.

This life-saving treatment will give us precious time  to live, to laugh, to take our beloved dogs Spencer and Pablo for walks on the beach. More importantly it will give us time to share the things we all take for granted until events like this take us down a path we don’t want to tread.

We’re asking for an opportunity to be able to afford to get to Poland and pay for this experimental but proven operation. It’s giving us hope will have the opportunity to spend more time together so if you feel you can help us by donating a few pounds, euros or dollars to enable us to do this then we would be eternally grateful.



Finally, Tom and I wanted to say that it’s always been very important to both of us to be active and supportive members of our gay community. We are always heartened to see how the LGBT+ community rallies around when one of its members is in need, and we hope that you’ll be able to support us in any way you can.  Financial support of course would be brilliant.  However, even if you are unable to help in this way, we would really appreciate it if you could share our story with your LGBT+ brothers and sisters, friends and allies on social media - that would be fantastic too.
Please, please can you help?  Thank you!

Ryk Thomas on behalf of Tom Ashford