Sandra, 52, from Hadlow in Kent, had been living in Vilamoura in the Algarve, where she had built a new life and a close circle of friends. She had no idea anything was seriously wrong until a blood test revealed abnormalities in her liver function.

An ultrasound subsequently identified a tumour in her liver, and further investigations, including an MRI scan, confirmed intrahepatic bile duct cancer (intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma).

“It shook my world,” she said. “I can’t control it. I can’t get rid of it. I have to just sit with it and accept it, but I will fight it.”

Since her diagnosis, Sandra has undergone eight cycles of combined chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The treatment reduced the size from 12 cm to 9.5 cm, but it remains too large for surgery at present. She continues to receive immunotherapy.

Sandra is now hoping to undergo Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT), a targeted treatment that delivers radiation directly to the tumour. Her medical team hopes this may help control the disease and potentially reduce the tumour sufficiently to open up further treatment options.

SIRT is available as a treatment option for some patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, but Sandra has been advised that it is not currently funded for her circumstances through the NHS. She has therefore been quoted privately for the treatment at The Cromwell Hospital in London. The quoted cost for the procedure is £50,865, with consultations, blood tests, scans and other associated medical costs expected to bring the overall cost to around £55,000.

Sandra says she became aware of SIRT after seeking further information about the treatment options available to her. Wanting to understand all the possibilities, she arranged a second opinion with a specialist hepatic surgeon. Her case was subsequently considered by a multidisciplinary team, and SIRT was recommended as a treatment option. She was then referred to The Cromwell Hospital.

Faced with the prospect of having to raise the money privately, Sandra initially found the idea of asking others for financial help extremely difficult.

She turned to the Tonbridge Mums Facebook group to ask whether anyone knew of organisations or charities that might be able to help with the cost. Several people encouraged her to consider setting up a GoFundMe page.

“I can’t do that. It feels like begging,” she recalled saying.

One woman asked: “Would you not beg for your life?”

Sandra replied: “Well, yes, I suppose I would.”

That conversation persuaded her to take the step she had been reluctant to take.

Sandra spoke to friends, who encouraged her to launch the appeal. Within the first three days, around €24,000 had been donated towards the €64,000 target.

“The generosity and kindness of people, especially total strangers, has absolutely blown me away,” she said. “I’m not fundraising because it’s promised SIRT will save my life, I’m fundraising because it might give me another door to walk through, and I’m not ready to stop knocking on all those doors.”

Before her diagnosis, Sandra had built a life around her work, friends, family, travel and the independence she fiercely values.

Sandra currently works for an independent fostering agency, where she works alongside social workers, foster carers, young people and staff. Having previously been a foster carer herself, she has a deep passion for fostering and says she genuinely loves the work she does.

“I have always been rather spirited, best known as Sassy SARN, with a lot of character. I’m incredibly stubborn, proud and independent, and I’m like a bulldozer. If I want something, I will go all out until I can get it.”

That determination continues to shape the way she approaches her illness. Sandra continues to work and goes to the gym as often as she can to try and keep active and strong.

She refuses to allow cancer to define her life.

“It isn’t in my nature to sit down and feel sorry for myself; it’s in my nature to stand up and fight! It’s in my nature to go out every day and do all the things I know and love.”

On her fundraising page, she calls her supporters “My Army”. What their donations could ultimately give her is something precious…

“Time!” she says.

“Time for hopes, dreams, places to visit, fun to be, and far too much chaos left to cause.”

https://gofund.me/44c1bdfc5

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