Treatment for Glioblastoma

Please forgive the forwardness of this message. If you are reading this, I am desperate for your help or you have been sent this because you could know someone who can help. I am in the centre of the fight of my life and I am scrambling to wherever I can get guidance and help from wherever I can.

I am the head of English from Hastings High School in Leicestershire. I am 40 years old and I have an incredible fiance, and I am the father of two young children - Noah,11 and Scout,9. I have been diagnosed this month with an aggressive glioblastoma in my left temporal lobe and will be undergoing an awake brain surgery next Thursday (19/09/24) to 'de-bulk' the tumour (at Coventry Hospital) and will begin (after the confirming of the biopsy) chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This treatment is notoriously unsuccessful and the progress with holding brain tumours at bay is known to be really quite unsuccessful. I can provide all of my notes.

My prognosis is incredibly poor but the funding itself is also not good.

In short, I am trying to get myself into a pioneering treatment by someone who came highly from my neuro surgeon. This man is called Professor Ashkan and his study called DCVAX-L is a form of immunotherapy that activates the body’s immune system and makes it target the brain’s tumour to fight it. His office is at 78 Harley Street in London. An article can be found here: https://www.kch.nhs.uk/news/final-results-of-brain-cancer-clinical-trial-published/ (https://www.kch.nhs.uk/news/final-results-of-brain-cancer-clinical-trial-published/)

I have been down to London today to meet Professor Ashkan who has pioneered the largest human study in what is in effect a form of immunotherapy. It has shown some positive results with adding time to the lives of these patients. It has shown that, whilst this is still a fatal diagnosis, his DCVAX-L has shown to add time to people’s lives. This is the promise of having precious more time available with my family.

In short, the funding for this is a little over £150,000 to create this tailored injection using my own blood and the tumour itself to fight the cancer. I am trying to do the impossible by crowdfunding this money as there is no other way around this. I've never done anything like this, but I am reaching out to you if you might have some novel ways that I could move these levers and raise the money for it. As you can tell, I am trying everything. I am not raising money frivolously. This is purely a way for me to buy time with my family to be with them for longer. Without access to this funding, my life, bluntly, is likely to be measurably shorter. My children and family will have less time with me.

If you want proof of notes, my diagnosis and any conversation, I am pleased to talk with anyone. I understand cynicism, but I ensure you I am genuine. My number is 07929 880 279.

Thank you

Stephen A J Webb.