HELP STEVE! - Brain Cancer Treatment Fund
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SPONSORED WALK - Saturday 24th Feb 2024
Dearest Friends,
In August 2022, our awesome friend Steve, aged 46, was diagnosed with a stage 4 Glioblastoma brain tumour.
After enduring 27 rounds of radiotherapy, multiple cycles of chemo, so many complications and hospital stays, a pulmonary embolism and losing the use of his left leg from a 4-hour seizure, poor Steve got the news that the treatment wasn’t working and the tumour was growing.
As much as the NHS, UCLH and Queens Square Hospital have been amazing, Steve’s family hit a dead end. They needed to do more. They couldn’t access all the treatments they needed in the UK or on the NHS.
Fran, Steve's incredible wife tirelessly researched alternative treatment options and they have been travelling every 6 weeks to the IOZK clinic in Germany for immunotherapy treatment. The treatment includes Keytruda, hypothermia, onocolytic virus therapy and ultimately a customised vaccine. The treatment IS making a difference, his seizures have reduced, and his mobility has improved. Steve's latest scan finally showed stability, some tumour reduction and his medical team believe it's all going in the right direction. It’s the first positive news that Steve and Fran have received since this hideous nightmare began. The challenge is that this treatment is extremely expensive.
Steve requires a variety of treatments. The aim being to prolong Steve’s life and, potentially, stop the tumour in its tracks. We want to give Steve as much additional time with his family and daughter Autumn as possible.
Fran has been caring for Steve and raising funds for his treatment. She never thought that Steve would have Brain cancer or that they’d need to go outside the UK to get treatment and that the treatment would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.
What this family has had to experience over the past year and a half has been incredibly sad to see and therefore we want to support them in any way we can.
We've come together and devised a plan for a sponsored walk on February 24th, 2024, this will help keep Steve’s treatment going and also raise awareness for much-needed brain cancer research. It was devastating to find out that brain tumours kill more people under 40 than any other cancer. Yet just 1% of the national spending on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since 2002.
For those of you who don’t know, Steve edited Netflix’s Sex Education. Therefore, we thought an 80/90’s Sex Ed dress-up style would be fitting! When Steve was diagnosed, he was editing the final series and reluctantly had to stop working when the treatment and seizures got too much.
So, on 24 Feb a group of Steve's friends, colleagues and family are getting together, in Sex Education inspired fancy dress, to walk through Central London. All are welcome!! Contact us via Go Fund Me.
What we need from you
Please donate to this GoFundMe to support Fran and Steve and receive updates. However big or small, every donation helps.
Share the GoFundMe page everywhere.
Follow us on Instagram @savethesexeditor2024 to keep in touch and get updates.
If you are taking part please ask as many people as possible to sponsor you!
Check out this mood board for 80s/90s-themed Sex Education outfit ideas/inspo!
If you are keen to join in but don't live near London, we also have people who will be taking part in other countries, so please don’t let location stop you!
We are sending our love and endless gratitude to you all.
Let's do this for team Ackroyd!
Steve’s friends xx
Fundraising team: Friends (42)
Friends of Steve Ackroyd
Organizer
Francesca Ackroyd
Team member
Rebecca Brett
Team member
Sharon Barton
Team member
Emily Maevewileys
Team member