Pitsea woman suffering with cancer aims to raise £50,000 for treatment

Jade Balwin, 35, of Pitsea was first diagnosed in February 2017.

She has been through various treatments, such as chemotherapy, but said the hospital suggested a drug called Nivolumab, which stimulates the body’s immune system to fight cancer cells.

The treatment costs an estimated £50,000 and includes blood tests and special positron emission tomography scans that she will need to pay for privately.

The 3D scans help identify abnormal areas of the body.

She started treatment on the NHS in March 2017, with a six-month course of chemotherapy every two weeks.

After two months a scan showed signs of remission, but the following one six months later revealed signs of cancer on her spine, ribs, lungs, hip and lymph nodes.

Earlier this year she had to return to hospital after getting sepsis.

She said: “To have this treatment will be everything to me as it may give me my life back. I may also need stem cell treatment and the only match is my mum, it makes me sad she needs to go through this, but she is happy to do it for me.

“I am keeping positive and it’s down to the people around me, my family and friends. I am going into work at times as its helping to keep my spirits up too.

“I work as a project management officer for DST in Basildon. My partner, Vince Whiston, has just been amazing and been with me every step of the way.

“We have already raised more than £8,000 and I just can’t believe it. Everyone has just been amazing, I can’t put it into works how much it means to me.” She said she is living her life as normally as possible while she can but she has had to miss out on special events like family get togethers which she finds very upsetting.

Her father, Roger Baldwin is also living with terminal skin cancer. She said: “It sounds bad but he understands how I feel and what I am going through. They could not find a primary source of his cancer.” To help and donate see ://www.gofundme.com/help-save-jade-hodgkins-lymphoma