Mum-of-three, 36, told she may only have a year to live after being diagnosed with rare cancer usually only found in elderly Japanese men
Brave Liz Sheppard is now fundraising for experimental treatment she hopes will prolong her life
A YOUNG mum-of-three told she may have a year to live is begging for help to beat a devastating cancer that is usually found in elderly Japanese men.
Liz Sheppard has been diagnosed with small cell stomach cancer - a condition so rare that little is known about about how to tackle the disease.
Doctors have been left baffled by her illness and have told her there is nothing they can do.
Now the 36-year-old is pinning her hopes of experimental treatment to prolong her life.
Her life was turned upside down in November last year when she was given the devastating diagnosis with her first impulse to think of the impact it would have on her family.
She said: ";My first thoughts were for my three beautiful young daughters.
“As most families were preparing for Christmas my family were preparing for my first chemotherapy session, which involved a 10-hour day hooked up to a machine."
She remained hopeful after the tumour in her stomach was discovered to have shrunk.
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But last month she was given the devastating news that a second tumour had grown and there was little that could be done for her.
She said: “I am now classed as terminal and according to statistics I have a one-year life expectancy.
“When I first out I had cancer I was devastated and just kept repeating ‘what about my girls?’
“I realised I was never going to have a cure but hoped I could expand my life expectancy. “
But remaining extremely positive, she added: “There’s two ways you can deal with this, you could easily become very depressed but I have got so much to live for.”
Liz, her husband Damien and daughters Georgia, 15, Grace, nine and Olivia, three, are continuing their long search for help and information about the condition.
Liz said: “You can’t even find anything about it on the internet it’s that rare, I’ve been told it’s usually found in Japanese men over the age of 70, but that’s about it.
“There’s just no data about it so you can’t even put a number on it world wide. I want to find anybody out there who can help with clinical trials.”
Liz has been offered a pioneering new treatment called NanoKnife in which part of the second tumour can be burnt away.
Designed for those with inoperable cancer, two fine needles are guided through the skin by ultrasound or CT scans to the tumour after which a strong electric current is passed through it.
Although it can’t cure cancer, it is hoped it is one procedure that may help prolong her life.
The entire procedure takes around 45 minutes and is performed under general anaesthetic, however, because it is not available through the NHS for Liz, it will cost around £20,000 each session at the Princess Grace Hospital in London for the surgery and aftercare.
Small cell stomach cancer: What we know about it
Small cell stomach cancer is an incredibly rare and virulent form of the disease. Outcomes are extremely poor even if treated early - with few long-term survivors. Most patients die within one year of diagnosis. A standard treatment for the cancer is yet to be established due to its rarity. The odds of surviving for five years are as low as 20 per cent.
Now Liz, who works as a clinical typist for King’s Mill Hospital, near near home in Mansfield, Notts, has launched a fundraising appeal and events are being staged at various locations across the country.
A JustGiving page has also been set up which has already raised more than £3,000.
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