Jake Whillock needs urgent immunotherapy

Jake is just like any other teenager & just wants to be able to go out unaccompanied, spend time with his friends, & get on with his life.

We are trying to raise funds for treatment, travel & accommodation in Spain.

Jake started feeling unwell & randomly being sick in December 2021; it happened a few times every now & then, & in February 2022 after tests, the Dr gave him the all clear. Jake began being sick more regularly & was put on a waiting list to see a Paediatrician.

By May 2022 he had regular headaches that got progressively worse, so Jake went to A&E, tests were negative, however, he had a CT Scan & it was the news every parent dreads... they'd found a mass on Jake's brain, & he was sent straight to Kings College Hospital in London.

The mass was a rare brain tumour called Diffuse Midline Glioma, & Jake immediately attended the Royal Marsden in Sutton to start 6 weeks of Radio & Chemotherapy, the family travelled from Eastbourne to London daily, & since then Jake has continued to receive weekly treatment.

The initial signs on Jake's MRI Scan in January 2023 were positive; the brain tumour was shrinking! However, despite the treatment, Jake has since developed a 2nd tumour & the treatment for the initial tumour stopped working.

This news was devastating for all the family, & especially for Jake. Jake is the eldest of 5, with a great sense of humour, & through all his treatment & illness he has remained positive, continuing to go to school, studying for his GCSE's, & talking about his future.

There are very few options for brain cancer treatment in the UK. Research into brain cancers receives less than 5% of all cancer funding. Due to the position of the tumour, the body's own defences stop the treatment from effectively getting through, unless targeted treatment is used, which is not available in the UK.

In March 2023, we raised funds for Jake to start a new Chemotherapy in France, which had a better chance of working than the Chemotherapy in the UK. Unfortunately, each scan Jake's had since he started the treatment has shown that the treatment has not been effective & Jake's tumours have continued to grow.

Radiotherapy is no longer an option as Dr's feel it would be too dangerous & would cause the tumours to swell.

Since he began the new treatment Jake has become very unwell, he has lost hearing in 1 ear, sight in 1 eye is distorted, his speech is slurred, & he has lost feeling in an arm & leg.

Our next & possibly only option, is immunotherapy, which is not available on the NHS. DCT will use Jake's own cells to attack the cancer, it is a relatively new treatment & is in Phase 2 of trials with already promising results on aggressive brain tumours.

The initial treatment will cost approx. £39,000, & is available in the UK; & to give Jake a fighting chance, this will need to be followed by a course of Nanotherapy, which is only available in Spain at a cost of £9,000. Jake will need to spend 5 weeks in Spain to undergo the 2nd phase of the treatment.

Jake has been incredibly brave & positive throughout his diagnosis, despite how unwell he has felt & is feeling; he just wants to get back to a 'normal' life. Jake is looking forward to his prom, which is coming up in July, he has the suit all ready & would love to be feeling a little better by then. Please help us to raise funds for this lifesaving treatment.

This is our very last hope to help Jake get better. Please donate & share. Thank you x

Thank you for reading.