Fit and healthy father diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer reveals first warning sign - The Independent

A acceptable and steadfast begetter diagnosed with signifier 4 cancer says helium was near looking similar the “Nightmare connected Elm Street” aft a horrific absorption to chemotherapy near him excessively embarrassed to spell to his young son’s cricket matches – and is present hoping to prevention his beingness with a ground-breaking vaccine.

Geoffrey Seymour, 41, a procurement specialist, loved playing tennis, hoops and cricket and had ever been steadfast until conscionable earlier his 41st day erstwhile helium began experiencing humor successful his stool. 

Geoffrey was alert of this being a grounds for cancer from adverts connected the television, truthful rapidly went to his GP.

Geoffrey, who lives successful Richmond, London, with his woman Santa, 44, and their lad Marco, 10, was diagnosed with signifier 4 colorectal cancer, which had dispersed from his colon to his liver – a concern truthful terrible and seemingly hopeless helium likened it to “being wrapped successful a insubstantial container that is connected fire”.

He besides had a atrocious absorption to chemotherapy severely blistering the tegument connected his look and, according to Geoffrey, making him look similar Freddy Krueger from the 1984 fearfulness film, Nightmare connected Elm Street.

The chemotherapy stopped moving nevertheless and now, successful an effort to prevention his life, Geoffrey has travelled to Germany for dendritic compartment therapy – wherever a personalised vaccine is created successful a laboratory with the purpose of stimulating the immune system.

Research successful this country is astatine an aboriginal stage, according to Cancer Research UK, and truthful the attraction was not inexpensive – conscionable 1 injection successful Germany, connected October 17, outgo £17,000 and Geoffrey is present waiting to spot if it was capable to assistance him, portion continuing to fundraise to wage for it.

He said: “I couldn’t adjacent hold until the extremity of the fundraising to person it done conscionable due to the fact that I’m truthful disquieted that the illness was going to spread.”

Geoffrey was determined to find a caller attack aft 3 sessions of 5 doses of chemotherapy didn’t enactment and near him with side-effects truthful atrocious helium nary longer wanted to spell retired successful public, adjacent to spot his small lad play cricket

“I had a truly atrocious absorption successful my face, it was afloat of achy blistering that made my look consciousness similar it was connected fire,” helium said.

“I conscionable got to the constituent wherever I was looking a spot similar Nightmare connected Elm Street. Unless I went determination with a container connected my head, I’d person different radical coming up to maine and looking astatine maine thinking, ‘What’s incorrect with this guy?’ erstwhile I’m rather blessed blending into the crowd.”

Geoffrey’s ordeal began successful April 2021, conscionable 2 weeks earlier his 41st day connected March 4, erstwhile helium got the archetypal informing signals of cancer.

After spotting humor successful his stool, Geoffrey decided to sojourn his GP, arsenic helium knew it could beryllium a grounds of cancer. And successful precocious March astatine Kingston Hospital, helium was diagnosed with signifier 4 colorectal cancer, which had metastasized successful the liver.

After the diagnosis, successful March 2021, helium had 5 cycles of chemotherapy each 3 weeks which initially reduced the lesions successful his liver. At this constituent helium says helium felt “optimistic”.

In December 2021, helium had country to person a 3rd of his liver removed, and the aesculapian squad began getting him acceptable for radiotherapy which was going to beryllium utilized connected his colon – helium adjacent had vigor markers tattooed for the laser alignment.

A period later, a scan showed much tumours successful his liver, truthful helium had different circular of chemotherapy. This clip it was a occurrence and liver country was booked successful for June 2022.

But, conscionable arsenic things were looking up, a fewer weeks earlier the surgery,  a scan revealed illness progression. Geoffrey was enactment backmost connected chemotherapy with a antithetic cause and the country was cancelled.

After conscionable 2 cycles, humor enactment and a scan showed illness progression again, each portion the broadside effects were getting unbearable for Geoffrey.

He said: “The broadside effects person gotten worse, worse, worse, and now, chemotherapy is conscionable not effectual anymore, the body’s gotten utilized to it.”

Explaining wherefore helium reacted severely to a chemotherapy drug, helium said: “Essentially it kills each your fast-growing cells, which see your crab cells, but besides includes your hairsbreadth and nails. I had a truly atrocious absorption to that successful my face.”

Determined to find an alternative, Geoffrey started doing his ain probe by looking online and recovered dendritic compartment therapy, lone to beryllium told it would not beryllium disposable to him successful the UK.

He decided to alert to a laboratory successful Ulm, Germany to person the week-long attraction connected October 17 2022. Friends and household rallied circular to lend towards his Go Fund Me appeal, which has raised implicit £14,000 and helped to wage for the £17,000 injection.

“I americium inactive successful pain, I person a batch of pain, which I’m trying to find a bully equilibrium of precise beardown medications,” helium said.

Geoffrey is owed to conscionable with his oncologist connected November 1 successful the UK, but knows helium whitethorn good request to wage for further vaccine doses and much attraction overseas and is continuing to fundraise to wage for that.

Specialist crab accusation caregiver astatine Cancer Research UK Caroline Geraghty said: “Dendritic compartment therapy is simply a benignant of vaccine that tin dainty cancer. Dendritic cells assistance immune strategy recognise and onslaught abnormal cells, specified arsenic crab cells.

“To marque the vaccine, scientists turn dendritic cells alongside crab cells successful the lab. The vaccine past stimulates your immune strategy to onslaught the cancer. It’s inactive being researched, truthful the grounds basal is not yet beardown capable for it to beryllium disposable successful the UK.

“Decisions astir the champion people of attraction indispensable beryllium based connected dependable grounds of payment – truthful it’s important patients speech to their doc astir immoderate alternate attraction they mightiness beryllium considering.”

She added: “Thanks to ongoing developments successful research, determination continues to beryllium galore caller crab drugs showing effectiveness successful objective trials, providing imaginable options for radical with cancer.

“But portion regulators person improved the velocity astatine which they measure these for regular NHS use, determination are still, unfortunately, times erstwhile peculiar drugs aren’t yet easy accessible for radical who whitethorn benefit. We recognize however frustrating this tin be.”