Terminally ill single mum desperate to raise £31,000 for pioneering treatment so son is not left alone
A terminally ill single mother of an 11-year-old boy with additional needs says she is desperate to raise £31,000 for a pioneering cancer treatment after the NHS said her condition was incurable.
Donna Horsnall, from Coreley, in Ludlow, went through breast cancer treatment for more than two years after being diagnosed in 2019.
Despite being given the all-clear in 2021, the cancer returned and has now spread to her breastbone and lung.
The 49-year-old has been told by her NHS doctors that the disease is not curable.
However, a pioneering treatment called immunotherapy could offer Donna hope after she heard from friends that it had cured their cancer, but the treatment, which costs £31,000, is not available on the NHS.
Donna said that without the treatment she has been told her condition is terminal and unless unless she can raise the money, her son, Tommie, who has additional needs, would be left alone.
"As you can imagine, he is devastated and so am I," she said.
"He will have no-one to look after him when I'm gone.We are very close as its always been myself and him. He saw me go through all that treatment for breast cancer, so he obviously is very anxious."
Donna added that Tommie's father was not involved in his life, and her mother, the only other person that could adopt her son, was 70 and had her own health issues.
She said she has now set up a GoFundMe page to try to raise the funds to have the immunotherapy at a private hospital in Birmingham.
"I have managed to find an immunotherapy treatment that could cure the cancer but as I'm a single disabled mum, I cannot raise the money," she said.
"I am very independent and would never ask for help but I want to be here for my son. He has separation anxiety."
Friends of Donna have also rallied round, with Sarah Hall, who performs in tribute band Waterloo Abba UK, hoping to put on a fundraising concert for Donna, but is seeking other bands and a venue that can hold 300 people for the concert.
If you can help with the fundraising event, contact Sarah Hall on waterlooabbauk@gmail.com or 07719 211676.
To donate to Donna's GoFundMe page, visit gofundme.com/f/ej4sym-immunotherapy
