An ovarian cancer patient trying to ‘buy’ more days of life has fundraised £100,000 to cover her treatment costs but says it may still not be enough.
Two years after her diagnosis at just 27 years old, Anastasia Leslie is fighting a tumour the size of a rugby ball by crowdfunding the cost of specialist treatment at a German clinic.
Anastasia and her husband Stuart set up a page on GoFundMe in February and they have already sourced £100,000 from 700 donations for their #BuyAnotherDay campaign.
The cost of her treatment is extraordinary, but on her GoFundMe page, Anastasia, who had previously received treatment at Royal Brompton Hospital, wrote: “If you could buy one more month or one more day, what would it be worth to you?
“A day doesn’t seem long but when you don’t want to die it’s the most priceless thing in the world.”
Despite raising a substantial sum, more funds are needed to cover what could end up being a £230,000 bill for the specialist treatment at Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic near Düsseldorf.
Nevertheless, Stuart Leslie said that the cutting edge treatment that his wife is undergoing is worth every penny.
In an emotional YouTube video about her appeal, Anastasia said: “It’s very hard asking for help, but I’ve realised that it is normal and you shouldn’t be ashamed of it.”
Anastasia’s situation is not uncommon – a report from Macmillan UK revealed that four in ten people with cancer have used their savings, sold off assets, or borrowed money to cover their treatment costs.
Macmillan’s study also found that thousands of people have had to borrow money from, or move in with, their parents in order to cope with the expense of battling the disease.
Figures show that someone diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer, as Anastasia was, is given only given a 19% chance of surviving the next five years.
