We are raising funds for Dendritic Cell Therapy.

£12,000 Update (15/02/2024) -

When I first set up this GoFundMe page 9 months ago, me and Kesley were sleeping in the garage/gym at the bottom of the garden. By the time I had finished providing all the relevant information and filling out text boxes, it was early hours in the morning. We never thought that it would have had the impact that it has, we are truly blessed as a family to have such inspirational people alongside us, loving and motivating us through their own actions.

THANK YOU; for donating, sharing our posts and swimming ice miles like its normal. Baking cakes, cold dipping and long distance cycles.

Now that we have raised £12,000, we thought it would be a good idea to look at flights and contact the clinic in Ulm. On doing so we learned that the clinic has now relocated closer to Munich and raised the cost of the next treatment meaning we are about £3,000 short of the next treatment.

We have lots of ideas and plans for raising funds, but getting things off the ground and into orbit is frustrating with Leo and myself needing care. We're truly grateful for those of you who are able to help us. No surrender!

Hi I’m Joe McMillan, two years ago this January, I was given a doctor’s opinion that there was a stage 4 adenocarcinoma in my rectum with metastases in my liver. I created this go fund me to raise the funds for three cycles of Dendritic Cell Therapy at a private clinic in Ulm, Germany. The £42,000 target covers the therapy only.

Dendritic Cell Therapy is the most natural immune cancer therapy, it activates the body’s own immune cells and helps the body to defeat cancer on its own. This cancer therapy activates killer cells and T helper cells which then fight the tumours, this therapy is not available on the NHS.

After two years under the care of the NHS, numerous treatments, scans and bloods, we were told that all the treatments had been ineffective and that there was only one more chemotherapy available with a 5% success rate. I completed four weeks of this treatment before stopping on account of the effect it was having on my body.

However, after two trips to Ulm, Germany and the first administration of Dendritic Cell Therapy, the latest results have shown that the tumour in my rectum is stable. Providing we have raised enough funds, the next treatment will be available for me in January 2024, (£12,000 per treatment after an initial treatment cost of £18,000).

Finally I would like to say thank you for all the donations thus far and especially for those of you who took the time to raise funds at events and through Your own actions. I struggle to find the words to articulate what your support means to me, especially on the days that are more difficult than others.

Thank you, Joe. ✌❤️

Ice Mile Attempt

 

Matt

Before I explain to you why I'm going to attempt to swim "An Ice Mile", I'd like to give you a bit of background what lead me here.......

You know me, I do like a challenge! And for those who've met me for a minute, you will know I'm obsessed with swimming and if you haven't given me a minute to bore you about my passion, I'll get you next time!

The absolute freedom that swimming gives me is like nothing else and that experience is heightened when I swim in the open water and being able sharing that experience with the incredible and inspiring communities that I do: - The Redcaps, PLF and TriForLife is such a privilege. Over the last few seasons, the assurance and protection my wetsuit has given to me has become less and less and hanging up my "superhero suit" and embracing the elements that my local wonderful world provides me with in my opinion is like nothing else. There is just no greater world/s to swim in, than The Mighty River Mersey, The Majestic New Brighton Marine Lake and Manley Mere - all have helped shape me as a person and shape my skills as a swimmer! Also, my swimming skills would be nothing without the community at "Guinea Gap Baths" a big thank you to everyone who does and has worked there over the very many years, you have kept our community so safe and active, a massive thank you for that❤️

 

So, what is an "Ice Mile" attempt? It is attempting to swimming one mile (1.6km), in water that has a temperature of 5.0 degrees C or below. And what would make someone attempt to complete this feat? It is widely regarded in the swimming world as the ultimate challenge for swimmers who'd like to challenge themselves against the elements over a long distance (long distance is set at anything over one Kilometre). I like swimming and I mostly like the water on the colder side but during my training before attempting an "Ice Mile" swim, even I find the water more refreshing than I'm use to! So, the answer to the question is this is "the challenge" is the distance an issue? No, I don't think it is. Is it the cold? No, not on its own. So, what make it a challenge? It's the extreme cold plus the long distance that makes this the challenge that it is and if I'm very honest the training swims are some of my most testing swims that I have ever encountered.

So why am I challenging myself so greatly? The reason is a good friend of mine is going through a challenge all of his own and my challenge is small in comparison, but it does link to his challenge as well!

Joe was diagnosed with tumours to his rectum in 2021. To date, Joe has undergone many treatments for theses tumours, including chemotherapy, but soon learnt that these treatments were not for him. So, Joe started to look at treatments that are more suited to him and that's when he found Dendritic Cell Therapy. Unfortunately, this treatment is not easily accessible, and the treatment is carried out in Germany, so it does mean there is a lot of expense linked with receiving this treatment. I'd like to support Joe by assisting in raising money for him to have this treatment. Interestingly the doctor who carried out Joe's first round of treatment has told him that boosting his immune system is a big key to supporting his treatment and the best way to do this is to cold water dip and cold-water plunge. So, I feel my little swim is insignificant in comparison, to the challenge that my mate Joe is experiencing.