Amazing response to Gemma appeal
£23,500 raised in week to send mum for treatment in Turkey
A CAMPAIGN to help a Tadley mother-of-three diagnosed with pancreatic and liver cancer has raised an incredible £23,500 in less than a week.
Gemma Kent, 40, needs to raise £60,000 to travel to Istanbul, Turkey, to participate in the Keto Diet treatment – something that, if effective, could prolong her life by up to 10 years.
Mrs Kent said: “I’m really happy that they are doing this for me. I feel spoilt and that I shouldn’t be getting this help.
“I’m gonna keep doing this, gonna keep fighting it. For me and everybody else.”
Her mother, June Beere, said: “She demanded a CT scan. This was done and the following morning she was told they found a 9.5cm hard mass on the tail end of her pancreas.
“We were devastated.
“She remained very positive and decide to call this tumour ‘Percy the pain in Gemma’s pancreas’.
“They told us all that she had just a few months without chemo, or extended life expectancy of nine to 12 if her body accepted the treatment.
“Through constant sharing to raise awareness we have been contacted by a lady whose husband has the same cancer as Gemma and his has also spread to his liver .
“He was written off by the NHS and told that the three chemo treatments were not working and they were only willing to fund a further three.
“They also went a similar road, trying to get the press involved, trying to raise awareness and she too was contacted by a party receiving amazing treatment in Istanbul.
“In short, they transferred their treatment to the same clinic and are having fabulous results via the Keto Diet, oxygenising the blood, and extreme heat mass, followed by chemo.
“Essentially, they use the diet to stop feeding the cancer cells with carbs or sugars, use oxygen and heat which cancer cells hate and when the cancer cells believe they are being starved of sugar they inject a small amount of insulin to bring them back out then blast them with chemo.
“Her husband’s cancer count has dropped from 5,000 to 2,900 in just two sessions.”
Mrs Kent added: “If the NHS had found the cancer sooner they could have operated and it wouldn’t have spread to my liver.
“I just want it out there to raise awareness that you know your body better than anyone.
“They only found the cancer because, after six months, I refused to leave the hospital until I had a CT scan.
“If the treatment is successful it can prolong my life by five to 10 years, so I can still be around for my daughter.”
To access the treatment in Turkey, Mrs Kent needs to spend five to six months in Istanbul.
Her family are currently gathering all the paperwork needed for the Turkish clinic to assess whether the treatment is right for her.
Mrs Beere added: “There are other options if Turkey can’t provide the treatment as it is also offered in Portugal and Canada.
“We won’t give up.”
Mrs Kent’s family are organising a fundraiser at Barlows Park, Tadley, on July 28 to help generate more money towards the £60,000 they need.
The fundraiser will include a bouncy castle, disco, barbecue and other forms of entertainment.
It starts at 11am and continues until 11pm. Entry is free and donations will be collected for the entertainment.
To donate, visit https://www. gofundme.com/ hope-for-gemma
Mrs Kent has three children, Jack, 20, Alfie, 13, and Hope, three.
