Over £20k raised in two days for Luton mum with ‘aggressive cancer’

More than £20,000 has been donated to a fundraiser for a mother-of-three from Luton to help her get specialist cancer drugs and care after being diagnosed over two years ago.

Farzana Azam, a former wedding photographer in her 40s, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021. She underwent surgery in an effort to stop the cancer's spread, but it had already spread to her lungs, neck, shoulder, ribs, and spine. Using a cyberknife and radiotherapy, some of the rib and spinal tumours were removed.

Her sister, Afanah, said: “She's had all sorts of problems like really bad skin reactions. She's had breathing issues and she's been in and out of hospital a few times with fluid in her lungs. It'll keep on coming back as it’s cancer related.

“She's got new lumps forming on her body.”

The devastating cancer diagnosis paired with the past 24 months of uncertainty has made things difficult for Farzana’s three children. Afanah said: “We're doing everything we can to support the children: domestically and emotionally. They were very dependent on their mum. She was the main one who managed the house and looked after everything.”

Afanah set up a GoFundMe page in the hope of raising funds to allow Farzana to access potentially life-saving medicine. On the page, she explained: “We have discovered the Oncological Centre Chemothermia in Turkey. We have personally spoken to a patient who is recovering and found that the treatment offered there holds promise.

“However, the treatments at Chemothermia come at a significant cost with each session costing approximately £5,000, in addition to other expenses such as PET/CT scans, medications, accommodation, and travel to and from Turkey.”

The therapy includes metabolically supported chemotherapy, hyperthermia, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, special infusion treatments, repurposed drugs, phytopharmaceutical supplements, and an oncological diet.

Already over £20,000 has been donated, but more is needed to get to her family’s £100,000 goal. Afanah said: “I think she would feel supported to know she's not on her own. She's got everybody's support. I have already noticed a slight difference in her. She can just focus on trying to get better instead of thinking about: ‘how am I going to pay for this?’”