More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
An appeal to raise £110,000 for a terminally ill mum has reached its half way point - as the family are given hope they may get funding for the treatment she needs.
Lorraine Hartley, from Halling, is desperate for life-extending drugs to give her more time with her young sons but can't get the medication on the NHS because of a technicality.
Mum to Arthur, three, and Henry, one, Lorraine been fighting lung and bone cancer for 18 months and it has now spread to her brain.
A drug which could help her live longer is available on the NHS, but it can only be prescribed if a patient has one of the additional variants of her cancer mutation.
The couple launched a GoFundMe donation page to pay for the drug privately which has now raised almost £56,000 - half of the total they need to fund a year's supply.
David said: "To have raised that amount in just a short time is really amazing. It has been a lot quicker than we thought.
"It means we now have a six-month cushion to get the rest of the cash."
The couple were given more good news this week when they were told the drug company AstraZenica, which makes the drug Lorraine needs, is reviewing her case.
They made a plea for compassionate funding a month ago, and if they are successful, the company could fund some or all of Lorraine's treatment.
Lorraine, 39, was diagnosed in March 2020 when she was 26 weeks pregnant. She had been in pain for months after hurting her back.
She was eventually given a scan which revealed one of her vertebrae had shattered. Doctors discovered it had been weakened by cancerous lesions on her spine which were also found in her lungs, ribs and lymph nodes.
Her partner, David Topping, 35, said: "This was the day our lives got turned upside down."
Lorraine was admitted to hospital and had to undergo an elective C-section at 30 weeks to deliver her youngest son Henry, who is now 18 months old.
Because Henry was born early, he had to spend 10 weeks in the intensive care and high dependency wards.
It was during this time Lorraine was given the devastating news she had just two years to live.
She was put on a course of targeted drug therapy for the next 15 months with good results.
But in June this year, Lorraine started getting numbness in her right hand which spread to her arm and face. A scan revealed eight tumours around her brain.
The couple from Halling must now raise £8,424 a month to pay for the drugs privately. Their aim is to raise enough to cover a year's supply for Lorraine.
David said last week: "Although it might not save her life indefinitely it will be the best way for her to have a lot more time with her family she loves so much.
"The hardest part of all of this is knowing she is going to miss out on their entire lives."
To donate to Lorraine's fund, click here.
